KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — American politician Matt Gaetz has today slammed the Biden administration for funding a programme aimed at reducing harm among men who have sex with men (M2M) in Malaysia.
In a bizarre stray shot against Malaysians, the controversial Republican said this funding should have outraged the gay community in the United States.
“American homosexuals engaging in chemsex should be outraged that we were funding this in Malaysia!” Gaetz posted on Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
“Chemsex” refers to “chemical sex” — sexual acts performed while under the influence of drugs such as methamphetamine or GHB, and is usually associated with M2M communities such as gay and bisexual men.
To back his argument, Gaetz attached a report by Daily Caller, a conservative-leaning news and opinion site co-founded by Tucker Carlson, a prominent conservative commentator and former Fox News host.
The Daily Caller article itself misrepresented a July 2024 news article by University of Connecticut’s Uconn Today, reporting how its Prof Roman Shrestha won a US$3.4 million (RM15.2 million) grant for a smartphone app.
“In Malaysia, our research has indicated that harm reduction needs of GBMSM engaged in chemsex are not being adequately met,” Shrestha was quoted saying in Uconn Today, referring to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
“Utilising smartphone apps and other mHealth tools presents a promising and cost-effective approach to expand access to these services for stigmatised and hard-to-reach populations.”
Shrestha, an assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, received the grant from the US government-backed National Institutes of Health to develop JomCare.
JomCare is described as an app aimed at “improving access to HIV- and substance use-related harm reduction services” for Malaysian M2M community who engage in chemsex.
The app, therefore, is aimed at reducing risks of HIV and other health issues such as sexually transmitted infections, addiction, violence, and suicide and suicidal ideation — commonly associated with chemsex.
Gaetz is known for his strong support of US president-elect Donald Trump, and is considered a prominent figure in the far-right wing of the Republican Party.
Gaetz, who recently withdrew after Trump nominated him for the US Attorney General role, is under investigation over having sex with an underage 17-year-old girl and illicit drug use.
