How Mpox anti-vaccine conspiracies attack and stigmatize LGBTQ+ people

According to some conspiracy theorists posting on alternative, uncensored social media, Mpox is another “impostor”created by a powerful elite to cull the population and generate profits for “substantial pharma”. According to social media users, anyone who takes the Mpox vaccine will inevitably face a heart attack and death.

Other Mpox conspiracies are aimed at hate LGBTQ+ people.

Through my PhD research on vaccine misinformation, I collected thousands of posts, videos, photos, and social media links from anti-vaccine Telegram channels, Substack newsletters, and Gab groups. Social Gab is a renowned social networking site hosts the right wing political content. These platforms are distinguished by a liberal approach to moderation. Users can post virtually anything they want without restrictions.

According to Research 2023platforms like Gab have become home to many “alt-right” content creators who have done just that leg without platform from major social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. Misinformation regarding Mpox is growing in these online locations.

Sexuality and stigma

In the early days of the Covid pandemic identified in the study that misinformation on social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube often blames specific social groups for the escalate in infections. Now it is MPox turn.

For example, one Substack creator considers gay and bisexual men engaging in “high-risk sexual behavior” a threat to the heterosexual population. He argues that abstinence is the only solution – but only for men who have sex with men.

In addition to accusing gays and bisexuals of a “deviant lifestyle that is contrary to nature and God’s laws,” some anti-vaccine content creators stigmatize people, labeling Mpox a hidden enemy who can “teach in schools and indoctrinate children.”

One common anti-vaccine conspiracy theory is “vaccine excretion“. This is the idea that vaccinated people can harm unvaccinated people through any contact. One online conspiracy states that the Mpox vaccine is particularly susceptible to shedding. Gay and bisexual people are therefore portrayed as hazardous, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not.

Mpox is routinely referred to by conspiracy theorists as a virus for immoral people. As a result, some anti-vaccination views are shockingly callous – one commentator claims he wouldn’t care at all if “gays and communists” died from the Mpox vaccine.

Misinformation about Mpox and the vaccine is peppered with homophobic narratives about infection and contamination – and this is familiar territory. People suffering from HIV and AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s were constantly stigmatized as hazardous.

Although online conspiracy theories depict people for whom Mpox poses a risk, in reality only a compact number existed mild cases of Mpox identified in the UK as of 2022. Although most confirmed cases of Mpox in the UK have occurred gays and bisexuals – and Mpox can be transmitted through them close sexual contact – people can also become infected if exposed to coughing and sneezing or sharing clothing, bedding and towels with an infected person.

Moderation and disinformation

In August 2024 new strain Mpox virus has been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and some neighboring countries. Estimated 10 million vaccines are needed to meet demand in affected African countries. In September 2024 UK Government ordered 150,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine to be distributed to gay and bisexual men and health care and humanitarian workers who may be at risk.

Like many of us, he can prove himself in a reliable, verified way medical source to learn more about Mpox, which is why alternative social media users turn to sources they trust. This usually includes doctors publicizing alleged harm caused by the vaccine, “news” conspiracy theory websites and prominent right-wing figures such as Tucker Carlson. People sell alternative remedies and products promising miraculous detox are always at hand to profit from vaccine misinformation.

Users share these sources in Gab groups, comment threads, and Telegram channels, layering their own beliefs on top of each other. This generates even more views and shares, which is one of the reasons social media is the way it is good incubator for conspiracy theories and disinformation.

Another reason is no content moderation on alternative social networking sites. Base describes itself as “a place for freelance writing.” Users are there shouldn’t share any content that incites violence, contains sex or nudity, or contains illegal activity. Telegram takes a similar approach. Talk it also draws a line against illegal content, but mainly encourages users to hide or ignore content they don’t want to see.

The arguments for or against unrestricted freedom of speech on the Internet are intricate. However, sites like Gab show what an unmoderated Internet can look like – hate of all kinds can find a home here if users choose to post such things. Mpox is another topic generating even more shareable content.