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Amid the chaos that conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has wrought at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control via firings and pressured resignations, some Republicans in Congress are opting to distract from the turmoil with rank homophobia.
Much like deceased GOP Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who led the so-called Lavender Scare, a crusade to purge gay people from the government, the right is yet again demonizing gay people to serve its political interests. After Demetre Daskalakis, the (now-former) director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, joined other top CDC officials in resigning in protest after the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez, two Republicans are suggesting Daskalakis’ sexuality justified his departure.
Here’s a quote Sen. Rand Paul gave to The Hill this week, while bashing Daskalakis’ support for vaccinating infants against hepatitis B:
‘One of the guys that is the biggest proponent of doing all this is the guy who describes the risky behavior that he and his lifestyle involve,’ Paul said when asked about the exodus in CDC leadership Tuesday evening, referring to Daskalakis. Paul was discussing his opposition to infant vaccinations against hepatitis B when asked. ‘A guy that is so far … out of the mainstream, I think most people in America would discount his opinion because of the things he said in the past. He does not represent the mainstream of anything in America,’ Paul continued. ‘He should have never had a position in government. And he brags about his lifestyle, you know, this whole idea of bondage and, you know, multiple partners and all that stuff. He brags about that stuff, but he’s got no business being in government. It’s good riddance.’
Paul’s remarks came after Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., referred to Daskalakis as a “BDSM satan worshipper” on CNN Sunday. Daskalakis dismissed the satanism allegations in 2022 but, for years, conservative disinformation-peddlers have used the fact he has a pentacle tattoo — along with other personal choices, like images of Daskalakis wearing leather — to portray him as some kind of demonic sex pervert rather than what he actually is: an infectious disease expert whose public health remit has largely included promoting the health and wellness of LGBTQ people in America — who happens to be a gay man himself.
The obvious deflection of this bigotry is clear. Paul, Carter and the right-wing social media ecosystem are trying to paper over Daskalakis’ resignation with homophobic attacks, baselessly labeling him a sexual deviant — including, as Paul alleges, for purportedly bragging about “multiple partners.” Meanwhile, the conspiracy-minded HHS secretary, whose history of self-described “polygamous” behavior and alleged sexual assault is well documented, pursues his crusade against public health, putting more Americans at risk by the day.