Freedom to Mask is a grassroots campaign formed to protect the freedom of people to wear masks to protect themselves. Masks protect ourselves and our community from spreading disease, protect us from inhaling harmful fumes from wildfires, protect our identities at a time when the Federal Government is cracking down on all who oppose them and employers are looking to break strikes and labor unions.
Freedom to Mask believes that mask bans or additional penalties for people wearing masks will stigmatize mask wearing further, make it harder for people who need masks to participate in their communities, use transit, and do their jobs, and , make it harder for people of color and lgbtqia folks who wear masks to get through their day without law enforcement interactions. Banning masks and penalizing mask wearing will in fact make our society as a whole, including you and your loved ones, less safe from disease and wildfire smoke, and make our communities much harder to navigate for those who need to mask for their health or the health of their community or loved ones.
Donations to Freedom to Mask will go towards staff salaries, creating materials to oppose the bans, educational efforts around New York State as to why unfettered access to masks is essential, and where necessary, materials to support community opposition to mask bans.
If you, or if you have loved ones or friends who need to mask to be in public safely, Freedom to Mask is for you. If you want people who need to mask to be able to participate in the lives of their communities, Freedom to Mask is for you.If you want to protest in support of issues but worry about surveillance, Freedom to Mask is for you. If you worry about undocumented New Yorkers being deported, Freedom to Mask is for you. If you don’t really understand why people still are masking, but don’t want another kind of behavior criminalized, Freedom to Mask is for you.
Thanks for joining this effort. Only together can we protect access to this critical health tool.