California politicians ignored data that Monkeypox is an STD currently being spread overwhelmingly in the LGBT community. Reform California breaks down why and the latest science behind the disease - and how Democrats are putting the public at risk.
California Democrats are once again in hot water over the latest public health crisis — Monkeypox — for politicizing the disease rather than offering scientifically accurate safety information.
Monkeypox is a type of orthopoxvirus, which is the same family as smallpox and chickenpox. Monkeypox was first identified in humans in Africa in 1970, where the disease has remained endemic. A new outbreak began in the United States in late 2021 and early 2022.
According to the latest data, the current strain of Monkeypox affecting the U.S. behaves like a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and its nascent point is in the LGBT community — where it largely remains.
However, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), Democrats in the State Legislature, and local leaders have responded to the public health emergency by urging vaccination, masking, and condemning rhetoric that the virus is a result of or spreading in the gay community.
Governor Newsom pledged to “secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization,” in a statement earlier this month.
San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher pleaded with constituents in a newsletter to “please don’t let people stigmatize our LGBT friends–this is not a sexually transmitted disease in this community.”
Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, said that state and local leadership’s actions were dangerous and placing Californians at an unnecessary risk.
“They are literally suppressing the science because they are afraid of offending the gay community,” said DeMaio.
“It’s reckless and irresponsible — hiding the truth that Monkeypox is an STD primarily in the gay community will wind up infecting a heck of a lot more people and causing avoidable and in some cases serious harm,” he continued.
DeMaio points to a study by the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that Monkeypox transmission was “suspected to have occurred through sexual activity in 95% of the persons with infection.” In fact, data shows that it is intercourse, and not merely close skin contact, that appears to transfer the virus.
Further, DeMaio says the outbreak is largely localized to the gay community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 94% of Monkeypox cases are in men who have sex with other men, and 99% of cases are in men overall.
“But even the CDC has been ignoring their own scientific data out of fear of backlash from the gay community — it’s ridiculous,” said DeMaio.
The CDC removed references to Monkeypox primarily circulating in men who have sex with men from its web pages, then restored them shortly after. It also added recommendations to wear a mask to prevent the spread, despite data indicating it only spreads via sexual intercourse.
“These people are terrified that they will get cancelled by or alienate their gay voters — or perhaps cause the public to have a negative opinion of the LGBT community,” said DeMaio. “But that should not get in the way of offering the latest scientific data on how people can protect themselves from disease.”
Symptoms of Monkeypox, such as sores, can in some cases prove serious. One German man’s sores on his nose began to rot after a doctor initially dismissed his condition as a sunburn.
“This disease is preventable and can be contained if we give people, and primarily the gay community, the right information — simply avoid unprotected sex with strangers,” said DeMaio.
In addition to urging public caution over Monkeypox, DeMaio and Reform California are leading the fight to flip key seats in the 2022 election and replace leaders that are not looking out for public safety.
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