On Sept. 4, Hornet Is Celebrating ‘International #Mask4Mask Day’ to Promote Public Mask-Wearing

Over the last six months, as we’ve watched the entire globe plunged into near-madness thanks to COVID-19, we’ve heard two refrains loud and clear: physically distance yourself from others while in public, and wear a mask — the latter of which Hornet is helping to promote throughout the month of September with a new campaign called #Mask4Mask.

On Friday, Sept. 4, Hornet — the world’s gay social network — is celebrating what it has deemed ‘International #Mask4Mask Day,’ a day when all users are encouraged to share a photo depicting them wearing a mask. Not only are these posts aimed at supporting the health-conscious decision of mask-wearing in public and reducing any lingering stigma associated with mask-wearing, but it’s also a great opportunity for the guys of Hornet to showcase that, yes, wearing a face mask can even be stylish!

Those users who post a mask-wearing selfie and use the hashtag #Mask4Mask will see a brand-new Hornet sticker placed on that photo throughout the month of September.

Hornet recently conducted a survey of 2,500 users from nearly 100 different countries, asking how often they wear masks when leaving the house. As it turns out, the percentage of queer men who wear a mask or face covering “every time,” “usually” or “sometimes” when they leave the house is actually a higher percentage than what you’d find in several countries!

Only around 6% of the queer men Hornet surveyed say they “never” or “hardly ever” wear a mask when they leave the house.

An overwhelming majority of the queer men who responded to Hornet’s survey, 90%, said they believe wearing a mask or face covering when out in public helps reduce the spread of COVID-19, while less than 10% do not. This is great news, as an overwhelming majority of international health experts say the evidence is clear: when worn properly, masks help prevent spread of the virus, and the more people wearing masks, the better.

And we also asked about the type of masks or face coverings Hornet users are wearing. Most guys prefer surgical/medical masks and cloth masks, while the next most popular were N95 respirators and bandanas/handkerchiefs.

(Head here for more data and explanation of what Hornet’s recent survey uncovered.)

So to celebrate the very high percentages of Hornet users who do their part in putting a stop to COVID-19 once and for all, and who show their respect for others’ health by wearing a mask or face covering while in public, Hornet encourages all users to share photos of themselves wearing a mask — on Sept. 4 but also throughout the month of September.

Normalizing and celebrating mask-wearing during these troubled times can be yet another opportunity for queer men around the world to lead the charge on what is one of 2020’s most important social and health-related issues.