06/20/2026
Weāre building a home.
Almost one year ago, Positive Deviance NYC began with a simple refusal: we would not accept that participating in public life had to mean giving up access and care.
14 events.
700+ attendees.
Concerts, dance parties, listening sessions, author talks, game nights: every gathering was mask-positive.
Every event taught us that folks want to
dance
learn
celebrate
create
organize
work
rest
and be together
ā without explaining why clean air matters or apologizing for wearing a mask.
But we also learned how hard this is without a home of our own.
Every single event means rebuilding from scratch: finding an accessible venue, negotiating health protocols, hauling HEPA purifiers and Far-UVC equipment, and trying to build access into rooms that were never designed with us in mind.
So as we reach our one year anniversary, weāre exploring something permanent:
a COVID-conscious space of our own -
right here in NYC.
A space with:
HEPA filtration and Far-UVC built into the room from day 1.
Where high-quality masks are the norm.
A home and social club for classes, co-working, art, nightlife, family programming, and rest.
A place folks can host their own events without reinventing clean-air protocols.
A worker-owned cooperative rooted in care.
As we approach funders and grant makers, weād like to show them how needed these spaces are.
Thatās where weād appreciate your help.
Tell us what a COVID-conscious space in NYC would make possible - for you, your family, your art, your health, your career.
A few sentences is plenty.
And if one of our gatherings ever brought you joy, relief, or connection, weād love to hear that too.
This year showed us weāre already building the future we need.
Weāre excited about the road ahead.
With love,
Michael + Marcel
Michael Thomas + marcelrosasalas
Positive Deviance NYC
