Australia’s Only Gay Head Of State Calls Out ‘Problematic’ Monkeypox Commentary
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Australia’s only out gay head of state, has an important message for public health authorities dealing with the monkeypox outbreak.
Barr said that it was important to get the message out that this was not some “niche disease” that only impacted gay men. Barr was speaking to the media following Thursday’s National Cabinet meeting where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, state premiers and territory chief ministers met to coordinate the national response to COVID-19, foot and mouth disease and monkeypox.
Barr said that some of the commentary around monkeypox was “concerning”. “This monkeypox is not a gay man’s disease. Monkeypox is transmitted by close, personal contact.
So anyone – regardless of their gender or sexuality who has multiple sexual partners is at risk,” Barr said.“It doesn’t matter whether you’re gay or straight or something in between and that is an important message,” the ACT CM said referring to the early messaging around HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 90s. “I do not want this to go down the path of HIV/AIDS early on, where all of the public commentary was that this was some sort of niche disease that only impacted gay men.
