Back in August 2022 radio host Kyle Sandilands defended comments he made about gay men being diagnosed with monkeypox, arguing that science was on his side. The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) have seen it differently.
ACMA has found that the shock-jock had “stereotyped gay men as irresponsible in regard to their sexual health.”
They found that the overall sentiment of the segment stereotyped gay men as irresponsible in regard to their sexual health, this made them the prime carriers of a virus that presented a danger to the community and, as a result, they were not deserving of sympathy or compassion.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the comments were derisive and insulting and were not in keeping with standards of decency expected by the audience.
“We acknowledge that the program’s audience does not expect the presentation style of either the program or the presenter to always be formal and nuanced,” O’Loughlin said.
“Although there was a basis at the time for a public discussion about mpox that involved reference to gay sexuality, the segment went beyond any acceptable standards by conveying that gay men were irresponsible, were a risk to the community and did not deserve any sympathy even when presenting for medical assistance.”
“Broadcasters have a responsibility to maintain appropriate levels of decency, and in this case the comments by Mr Sandilands were overly disparaging and insulting.”
The Sydney based radio KIIS FM host was criticised when he made comments about the virus where he described monkeypox as a “big gay disease that only gays get”.
The segment saw Sandilands ask newsreader Brooklyn Ross if he, as a gay man, was going to vaccinated against the virus that has steadily been spreading around the world. Ross said he didn’t feel he needed to because he was in a relationship, to which Sandilands suggested that the newsreader was “rolling the dice”.
The radio host then had the newsreader’s partner call in to the station to join the conversation and also brought in the show’s medical expert, known as Dr KIIS
‘Is it true that if you eat bananas, your chance of getting monkeypox skyrockets?’ Sandilands asked, before bursting into laughter. He then suggested that doctors should put up signs turning away people with symptoms of monkeypox.
“You don’t have to have every Tom, Dick, and bloody dirty monkeypox victim coming in there, do ya?” Sandilands said during the exchange, before saying he would not allow any gay people near his newborn son, out of fear they may have the virus.
The ACMA noted that this incident pre-dates another segment that saw the broadcaster commit to delivering sensitivity training to the program hosts, producers, censors and other relevant staff. The program has agreed to report back to ACMA about its progress every six months for the next two years.
OIP Staff
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