Republican Senator Rand Paul has criticised former Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official Dr Demetre Daskalakis, claiming his “lifestyle” made him unfit for public service.
The Kentucky senator, known for his staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ stance, took aim at Daskalakis after his resignation as director of the CDC’s Centre for Immunisation and Respiratory Diseases. Several other officials also resigned this week, reportedly due to concerns about U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s policies.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (2 September), Senator Paul said:
“One of the guys that is the biggest proponent of doing all this is the guy who describes the risky behaviour that he and his lifestyle involve.
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.”
He added:
“He should have never had a position in government. 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.”
Daskalakis, an openly gay health expert, had been a visible advocate for HIV prevention and public health education. In 2021, he appeared on the cover of Plus Magazine wearing a leather harness beneath a pinstripe suit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he offered practical safety advice for group sex, including limiting the number of participants.
Following his departure, Daskalakis voiced strong concerns about RFK Jr’s direction as health secretary, stating:
“I may be wrong. But … based on what I’ve heard with the new members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP, they’re really moving in an ideologic direction where they want to see the undoing of vaccination. They do want to see the undoing of mRNA vaccination,” he told ABC.
His exit comes amid broader controversy surrounding the Biden administration’s health policies. One particularly contentious move was the July shutdown of the LGBTQ+ Youth Specialised Service hotline, also known as the ‘Press 3 Option’ — a suicide prevention line for LGBTQ+ youth. The Trevor Project, a key partner in the service, said they were “devastated and heartbroken” by the decision.
