Right-wing media personalities are using the monkeypox emergency to fuel the anti-vax movement and to attack gay and bisexual men, according to a report from Media Matters that was published today. The report argues that conservative pundits are using anti-vax talking points alongside “AIDS-era rhetoric” in an effort to stigmatize men that have sex with other men. Framing the spread of the disease as a result of gay mens promiscuity rather than recognizing the community’s victimization by the outbreak.
The Biden administration declared a public health emergency on August 4. This after the U.S reported the fastest rise and highest number of monkeypox cases globally in the last week of July. Although native to certain African countries, the virus had until now been rare in Europe and the U.S. Experts believe that the virus has been able to spread through men that have sex with other men.
Media Matters argues that the right-wing media’s vilification of gay men in the coverage of the monkeypox emergency is reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic. This stigmatization has reportedly already resulted in violence against gay men.
One example of homophobic coverage presented in the report is an article titled “Americans Lost Fundamental Freedoms During Covid — But Halting Gay Orgies To Stop Monkeypox Is Too Far?” Demonstrating the anti-gay sentiment that is being promoted by these outlets when reporting on the outbreak. While the disease has hit the gay community the hardest, reports of monkeypox cases in children and other non-gay adults are rising.