Monkeypox: Fears over growing LGBTIQ+ stigma
mambaonline.comWhile the international monkeypox outbreak has yet to reach South Africa, there are concerns that the disease is being used to stigmatise gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). As reported in the media, several cases of monkeypox have been identified among MSM in Europe, in some instances through sexual health clinics.
This has led to sensationalistic claims on social media which have been used to target members of this community. The term “gaypox” is among some being used on online platforms to disparage and paint LGBTIQ+ people as spreaders of disease.
Monkeypox, however, can affect anyone. “It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men.
Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk,” stated the World Health Organization (WHO). “We have seen this before, where gay and bisexual men were shamed, stigmatised and shunned in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States,” said Dawie Nel, Director of South African group OUT LGBT Well-being, in a statement. “This cannot be allowed to happen again.
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