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The pandemic has fundamentally altered nearly every aspect of our relational lives, including how we navigate risk in our personal and public lives. What felt risky before may feel safer now; and activities that we thought of as low risk are now charged with danger. For youth, this new risk calculus is part of their experience of sexuality. How do young people calculate risks in their intimate lives? What activities and behaviours feel off-limits? What does romance look like in and after a pandemic?

In 4 the Record, we ask racialized and/or LGBTQ+ young women and non-binary folx in NYC, Melbourne, and Toronto how the pandemic has shaped the ways they understand and navigate risk. Using a custom designed app, participants will record risks taken and risks avoided on a digital timeline. We want to hear about danger in the time of COVID but also the pleasures of taking chances and the regrets of opportunities missed. After getting risks on the record, we will follow up and interview young women about their calendars. In early 2023, this site will become a gallery where we share what we have learned and invite you to respond. How has the pandemic changed the ways you walk through the world? How have you approached dating, romance, and friendships during the pandemic? How do you decide what feels too risky and what feels worth it?