Controversial radio host condemned for calling monkeypox ‘the big gay disease’
Controversial host Kyle Sandilands has once again found himself in hot water. (Hanna Lassen/Getty)
Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands has been criticised for describing monkeypox as the “big gay disease”.
In a segment on a 23 August the host of Sydney-based KISS FM claimed “it’s only the gays getting it” during a talk with openly gay newsreader Brooklyn Ross’ partner Damien, who had called in to discuss Sandiland’s comments.
“The monkeypox, the big gay disease floating around, it’s only the gays getting it,” Sandilands said. “Are you worried about getting it? Have you seen the dirty scabs that everyone gets?
“It will kill your social life, I’d say, if you’re covered in scabs.”
While monkeypox has disproportionately affected gay and bisexual men, it is not exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community and such claims have been dismissed by health bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Sandilands accused Ross of “rolling the dice” after stating he wouldn’t get the monkeypox vaccine because he was in a committed relationship, adding “what’s wrong with you gays?” and joking Ross’ boyfriend might be unfaithful.
The 51-year-old father then vowed to not let “any gays” near his newborn son Otto.
Sandilands then invited medical expert Dr Sam Hay, also known as Dr KIIS, to weigh in on the discussion, asking: “If you eat bananas, [does] your chance of getting monkeypox skyrocket?”
After Dr KIIS reassured Sandilands the fatality rate of monkeypox is small, he replied by asking: “Are you just dismissing it because they’re gay?
“You don’t have to have every Tom, Dick, and bloody dirty monkeypox victim coming in there, do you? If I was a doctor, I’d put a sign-up, ‘no monkeypox patients admitted’. I think you can do whatever you want as a doctor.”
In a column in the Sydney Morning Herald, journalist Andrew Hornery wrote that the KIIS host had reached a “new low” with the comments.
In the article, a spokesperson for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) said: “Comments such as this are not just hurtful, they are also deeply unhelpful.
“Right now, thousands of gay and bisexual men are doing the right thing by monitoring for monkeypox symptoms, to look after their health and that of their partners. Over the next few months, we will be asking these men to come forward to be vaccinated.”
Several others lambasted the host for his “appalling” words during the show, with one saying: “Kyle Sandilands represents all the reasons why you should only listen to medical experts, instead of an ‘ignorant, has-been shock jock’, who has zero respect for others.”
Australia managed to secure at least 450,000 doses of the third-generation Bavarian-Nordic vaccine, to be prioritised for specific at-risk groups, after negotiations. Cases in the country have reached 106 at the time of reporting.
Health minister Mark Butler told the public on 5 August the doses were a cautionary measure since cases had “increased quite quickly” around the world, with countries like the US seeing at least 17,431 cases as of 26 August.
The first 100,000 doses are expected to reach Australia over the remaining months of 2022, with 22,000 arriving in the next couple of weeks. The remaining 350,000 will be distributed in 2023.
According to Butler, the vaccine was “by far the most effective and user-friendly for patients with compromised immunity” and could also be administered to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and those with pre-existing conditions.
