Poppers panic: Gays react to crackdown with alarm and humor

The gays will not sit quietly by as the FDA comes for their poppers.

When the news broke that Double Scorpio – a company that sells lube, clothing accessories, and poppers – had been raided by the FDA and abruptly closed, and that several other companies that sell and produce the product seem to have done similarly, it sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community.

(Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the head of Health and Human Services – which is in charge of the FDA – has said in the past that he believes poppers caused AIDS, something that is not true, as AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).)

When Out posted the news of the development on Instagram, the magazine's Instagram readers provided a rainbow of swift reactions — from jokes to alarmed calls for political action. See some of the standout remarks below.

For many, the news served as a rallying cry that brought out the famous wit of the queer community.

"Not the bottoms storming the capital," Jeremy Crittenden, @jcritty on Instagram said.

"This means war," added Tyron Harkiss-Foster, @tyronharkissfoster on Instagram.

"I'll give you my poppers when you pry them from my cold dead hands – Charlton Heston, 2000," paraphrased Brian Hutchison, @brianhutchison on Instagram.

"Poor things. CPAC is uptight enough as it is," quipped Jonathan Lovitz, @jdlovits on Instagram.

Many also pointed to the hypocrisy of gay Republicans who support Trump and his administration.

"But when they were sniffing down at the Republican National Convention crashing hook up apps it was fine," questioned @loveliferob on Instagram.

"Gays for Trump WYA" added @wildermyah.

Still others mentioned that using poppers actually does come with some health concerns.

"This is trash, but if we are being real, poppers can actually cause damage to your vision. Nevertheless the real concern is that they’re also trying to come for PrEP," noted Patrick Steven, @pswaechter on Instagram.

"That sucks BUT poppers are very bad for you if you use them too much. They have been illegal in Canada for years. To be honest I’m shocked it hadn’t happened sooner. HOWEVER there are far more important things to do with health they should be focused on," added @chadmdg1980.

Some also emphasized that this is part of a larger move by the administration to attack, disempower, and erase the LGBTQ+ community.

"So yes, die of measles as a child, or have the teeth rot out of your face because the fluoride has been removed from the tap water, or die of food poisoning because we don’t check for that anymore, or diseases like bird flu, Ebola or HIV which we won’t attempt to contain anymore …. But poppers to enjoy gay sex THAT is now illegal. Just when you think these people couldn’t possibly be more evil, they find a new low. WTAF," asked @jevancouverbc, referencing many of Kennedy's other views on health.

"Do you realize that a dictatorship is being installed in the United States?" @pascal_thesquale asked.