Men who have sex with men comprise the vast majority of monkeypox cases in an unprecedented global outbreak. Eighteen gay men shared their stories after contracting monkeypox. Some say their symptoms were mild, while others endured "unbearable" physical pain.

Many said that they were met by a health care system that was wholly unprepared for them. Some were rushed into isolation rooms and left alone for hours, and others said they dealt with stigmatization.

"I now know what it felt like to be the first HIV patients many decades ago," one man said.