{"id":1478758,"date":"2024-07-23T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1478758"},"modified":"2024-07-23T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T05:00:00","slug":"pure-blood-dating-divide-over-vaccination-status-splits-those-looking-for-a-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/pure-blood-dating-divide-over-vaccination-status-splits-those-looking-for-a-partner\/1478758\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pure Blood’: Dating Divide Over Vaccination Status Splits Those Looking For A Partner"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Pure Blood’: Dating Divide Over Vaccination Status Splits Those Looking For A Partner<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

Courtney Furlong, 36, had always considered modern dating a hit-or-miss prospect, even before COVID-19 vaccines, masks, and lockdowns turned the world upside down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unjected.com founder Shelby Hosana hosts a “pure blood” social mixer for unvaccinated singles in Phoenix on July 15, 2024. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

But today, Ms. Furlong said it\u2019s downright \u201cterrible\u201d trying to find a suitable dating partner who isn\u2019t vaccinated.<\/p>\n

Having chosen to avoid taking the COVID-19 shots over concerns about their safety, the Phoenix resident now finds the dating market more restricted and challenging than ever.<\/p>\n

She said that many vaccinated people refuse to date the unvaccinated, and vice versa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at the age now where I want to have children. My situation now is, who should I have a baby with?<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0Ms. Furlong said, standing at the vegan bar at The Giving Tree in Phoenix, watching 50 other unvaccinated people mix and mingle on a hot Monday evening.<\/p>\n

Who knows? Tonight could be the night she’ll meet her significant other, she said\u2014or at least make new like-minded friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at a place where I’d like to meet someone and have a child,\u201d Ms. Furlong told The Epoch Times. \u201cA huge factor is: Did you get the vaccine or not?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sponsored by the dating website Unjected.com, the informal gathering of unvaccinated men and women took place on July 15 at The Giving Tree.<\/p>\n

Other social mixers, dubbed \u201cpure blood parties,\u201d are also planned in Canada, New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThese unvaccinated mixers are starting to pop up everywhere,\u201d said Shelby Hosana, 28, who launched Unjected.com in the spring of 2021 to bring the unvaccinated singles community together.<\/p>\n

She said a person\u2019s COVID-19 vaccination status is \u201cthe biggest ice-breaker and deal-breaker in the modern dating world.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it cuts both ways\u2014vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many online dating sites, such as Tinder, Match, and Bumble, now include COVID-19 badges, stickers, and filters to help singles better navigate the post-pandemic landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the very first question asked in the dating scene for many,\u201d Ms. Hosana told The Epoch Times. \u201cEspecially now that we can anticipate all vaccines on the market will be mRNA. It\u2019s quite literally choosing partners who choose zero vaccination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jill Crosby, owner and founder of Conscious Singles, a dating site \u201cfor those who value freedom and sovereignty,\u201d said that unvaccinated singles appear to be more concerned about dating within their group.<\/p>\n

Courtney Furlong, 36, stands at the vegan bar during a social mixer for unvaccinated singles in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2024. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our non-vaccinated members will only date other non-vaccinated members,<\/strong>\u201d Ms. Crosby told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

However, vaccinated members are usually less likely to care whether a potential partner is vaccinated.<\/p>\n

In early 2022, a sufficient number of unvaccinated members asked to declare their vaccination status to aid them in finding other unvaccinated members.<\/p>\n

Ms. Crosby said Conscious Singles responded by creating unvaccinated and vaccinated badges to post on dating profiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, we\u2019ve had a close to equal number of members post a nonvaccinated or vaccinated badge on their profile,<\/strong>\u201d she said, \u201cand about the same amount of members [about 30 percent] selected \u201dprefer not to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dating site also provides multiple-choice \u201cMatch Questions\u201d in many categories and recently added, \u201cWill you date someone who has been vaccinated?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Hosana said not long ago some dating sites banned profiles that required a person\u2019s vaccination status.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the recent data point to a distinct social divide with online dating following the rollout of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for COVID-19 in early 2021.<\/p>\n

A July 2022 Pew Research Center survey<\/a>, found that nearly 25 percent thought it \u201cvery important\u201d to include one\u2019s COVID-19 vaccination status in a dating profile.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, nearly half (47 percent) said it was \u201csomewhat important\u201d for people to provide their vaccination status, according to the survey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The survey showed that roughly 9 percent of U.S. adults had used a dating site or app between 2021 and 2022.<\/p>\n

More telling was the partisan split in survey responses: According to the report, Democrats were \u201cfar more likely\u201d than Republicans to say that vaccination status was \u201cimportant for them to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Las Vegas, Ms. Hosana said she was curious to learn about what other people thought about dating and COVID-19 vaccination status.<\/p>\n

So she and her marketing director, Scott Armstrong, conducted a random \u201cman on the street\u201d survey that asked people whether they would date a vaccinated or unvaccinated person.<\/p>\n

Unjected.com marketing director Scott Armstrong checks in guests during a social mixer for unvaccinated singles in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2024. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSome [vaccinated] people said they would never date an unvaccinated person\u2014someone as \u2019stupid’ as an anti-vaxxer<\/strong>,\u201d Ms. Hosana said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going both ways,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to be with us. And we really don\u2019t want to be with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s like the first question they ask\u2014did you take the COVID shots?\u201d Mr. Armstrong told The Epoch Times about online dating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sad, too,\u201d he said, to think that a man or a woman rejected as a potential dating partner over their vaccination status could have been \u201cthe one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough [but] this is the world we\u2019re living in now<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And, given the number of vaccinated people versus the unvaccinated, singles who have not taken one or more COVID-19 shots appear to be at a disadvantage, Ms. Hosana said.<\/p>\n

According to USAFacts, more than 270 million Americans (81 percent of the U.S. population) have received at least one COVID-19 injection; more than 230 million (70 percent) are considered fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n

The website<\/a> added that of the roughly 1 billion doses distributed since 2020, more than 676 million (68 percent) doses were used nationwide, with almost 64 percent reported as fully vaccinated in Arizona.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As new strains of the virus develop, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people should receive an updated 2024\u201325 COVID-19 and flu vaccine for the fall and winter seasons.<\/p>\n

Among unvaccinated singles, the CDC\u2019s advice falls on unwelcome ears.<\/p>\n

Unvaccinated singles Kristen Feuerstein (L) and Melanie Dias attend a social gathering for unvaccinated men and women in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2024. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a whole new wild navigation in the world,\u201d Ms. Hosana said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, the desire to match with someone who also is aligned with protecting personal freedoms is paramount.\u00a0But the need to protect reproductive health and overall health has been the biggest concern since day one<\/strong>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Kristen Feuerstein, 58, and her friend Melanie Dias, 54, are both Phoenix residents who attended the July 15 social mixer hoping to connect with like-minded people.<\/p>\n

As unvaccinated health care workers, both women are divorced, single, and currently dating vaccinated men.<\/p>\n

Ms. Feuerstein said she is trying to make her relationship work despite her concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines and alleged spin-off effects, like spike protein \u201cshedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her biggest fear is \u201cinvesting\u201d in a relationship in which her partner gets sick with the vaccine down the road.<\/p>\n

Overall, her COVID-19 vaccination status has \u201creally niched me down\u201d in terms of charting a dating course, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch trippy days,\u201d Ms. Feuerstein said. \u201cI\u2019ve actually given up [on internet dating]. It\u2019s just made dating really challenging.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms. Dias said her goal is to seek out other people who are \u201con the same page\u201d as herself regarding the mRNA vaccines and who \u201csee the world the same as you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt my age, I don\u2019t want to invest time and energy in somebody who\u2019s going to keel over,\u201d she said jokingly.<\/p>\n

More than 50 unvaccinated singles attended a gathering at The Giving Tree in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2024, to listen to health experts discuss ways to detoxify the body.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The vaccinated man she\u2019s now seeing is someone from her past.\u00a0During the pandemic, her friend had assured her that he would not be taking the injection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met up again last year,\u201d Ms. Dias told The Epoch Times. \u201cI assumed he didn\u2019t get it. But he didn\u2019t tell me [he received it] until we were already dating\u201d\u2014just \u201cone\u201d shot, she said, \u201cbut it was a tough call.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the only way he could fly into Chicago to visit his family. He visits his family every year. What am I going to say to that? Don\u2019t see your aging parents?\u201d Ms. Dias said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John Ahlgren, 40, of Phoenix, said his plan at the social mixer was to meet other unvaccinated people and \u201chave a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor dating, I don\u2019t know if [taking the vaccine] is a deal-breaker,\u201d he said, \u201cbut when I find someone, I want to spend the rest of my life with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just that the culture has changed. COVID certainly had a part to play in it. Social media has changed the landscape too,\u201d Mr. Ahlgren told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Being single, he said he prefers face-to-face \u201corganic engagements\u201d with people and views online dating as a \u201cbig waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Would you date a vaccinated person?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot fully vaxxed,\u201d Mr. Ahlgren said. \u201cOnce [vaxxed] twice shy, I guess.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mike, 45, of Scottsdale, said he wasn\u2019t expecting to meet the unvaccinated woman of his dreams on July 15, but he was open to the possibility.<\/p>\n

Unvaccinated single Bradley Ahlgren said he hoped to meet like-minded people during a social gathering of the unvaccinated in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2024. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what this whole thing is pretty much about,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about people who don\u2019t want to meet someone vaccinated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Furlong said the natural choice is to be with someone whose morals and values align with her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told one of my best friends I wasn\u2019t getting [vaccinated]\u2014he\u2019s had five boosters\u2014well, he said if you don\u2019t get your vaccine, you\u2019re never going to meet my parents,\u201d Ms. Furlong said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m the only person out of 20 people in my family who didn\u2019t get injected. My parents said they only did it because they felt pressured.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Dias said she intends to \u201cstay present\u201d in her current relationship, as she is a romantic at heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say it\u2019s better to have loved than not at all\u2014and if a person is really kind\u2014you know what I mean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nMon, 07\/22\/2024 – 21:00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/medical\/pure-blood-dating-divide-over-vaccination-status-splits-those-looking-partner<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Pure Blood’: Dating Divide Over Vaccination Status Splits Those Looking For A Partner Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Courtney Furlong,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1478759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1478758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1478758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1478758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1478758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1478759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1478758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1478758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1478758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}