White House Monkeypox Response Deputy Demetre Daskalakis Dubbed ‘Gay Satanist’ By Conservatives

US President Joe Biden last month appointed out gay physician Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as the new White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator. 

Right wing and conservative commentators, who have discovered that Daskalakis sports a “pentagram tattoo” on his chest,  have dubbed him a “gay satanist”.

“Demetre proudly wears the official symbol of the Church of Satan: The Pentagram. Joe Biden appointed a Satanist to the White House,” Benny Johnson, the host of The Benny Report on Newsmax TV railed on Twitter. 

Newsmax is described as an  “American right-wing to far-right” media house. In 2014, Buzzfeed had fired Johnson, after the publication found that many of his writings were plagiarised. Johnson had then apologised for the plagiarism.  

The Baphomet Pentagram is the official, copyrighted symbol of the Church of Satan. The pentagram has long been associated with various occult beliefs. Satanism, which reveres the accomplishments of humanity and encourages believers to embrace physical wants and desires. pic.twitter.com/qZt2sjTewO

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 8, 2022

Anti-Gay Lampooning Campaign

“The Baphomet Pentagram is the official, copyrighted symbol of the Church of Satan. The pentagram has long been associated with various occult beliefs. Satanism, which reveres the accomplishments of humanity and encourages believers to embrace physical wants and desires,” Johnson claimed.

Not cherry picking here. The Pentagram is proudly displayed in his *promotional* photos for a CDC appointment. It’s ubiquitous on his social media. Demetre has Pentagram tattoos.

So it’s a fair question: Did Joe Biden appoint a Satanist? pic.twitter.com/471Fp3uKss

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 8, 2022

“I’m a First Amendment Absolutist.  Demetre has the right to believe & worship anything he wants.  Joe Biden did nothing illegal in appointing him.  But the American public has a right to know if Joe Biden appointed a Satanist,” claimed Johnson. Other right wing users amplified the claims on social media. 

Science reporter Benjamin Ryan said “It was only a matter of time before conservatives began an anti-gay lampooning campaign of Demetre Daskalakis, the White House’s Monkeypox deputy, who has always been an unconventional public servant.”.

It was only a matter of time before conservatives began an anti-gay lampooning campaign of Demetre Daskalakis, the White House’s #monkeypox deputy, who has always been an unconventional public servant. https://t.co/CQyoshMTQI

— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) September 8, 2022

Monkeypox Infections Slowing, Says Dr. Demetre Daskalakis

Daskalakis has not addressed the comments in public, probably because he is busy dealing with the monkeypox outbreak. In a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Daskalakis said that monkeypox infections appeared to be slowing down in the US. 

Monkeypox vaccine?

Hear more from Dr. Demetre Daskalakis (@dr_demetre) tomorrow on YouTube 📺 pic.twitter.com/qvjLxwsaxM

— Plus Life (@pluslifemedia) September 5, 2022

“The week-over-week growth rates of the virus, meaning how quickly the virus is spreading, is trending downward in some of the areas involved earliest in the outbreak.  Places like New York, California, Texas, and Illinois are all seeing significant declines in growth rates over the last month,” said Daskalakis. 

“The positive trends that we’re seeing in this data also speak to the actions that individuals have taken across the country to protect themselves against the virus.  That includes changing their behaviours and seeking out testing and vaccines,” the public health expert added. 

National Expert On LGBTQI Health

Daskalakis, currently Director of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention, was appointed to his post for his extensive work in public health. 

The White House said that Daskalakis was “widely known as a national expert on health issues affecting the LGBGQIA+ communities. His clinical practice has focused on providing care for the underserved LGBTQIA+ communities.”

Daskalakis, had previously overseen the “management of infectious diseases for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, one of the largest departments in the nation – including in serving as incident commander for the City’s COVID-19 response”.

Daskalakis is married to his husband Michael Macneal. He has not been shy to show off his amazing tattoos, but appears to have recently made his Instagram account private.