Nearly seven weeks after the World Health Organization said it will change the name of the monkeypox disease, agreeing with scientists who called it “discriminatory and stigmatizing,” the controversial label doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Critics say the name “monkeypox” plays into racist stereotypes about Black people, Africa and LGBTQ people — and, they note, it falsely suggests monkeys are the main source of the virus.
“Monkeypox should be renamed for two major reasons,” said Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, a global health equity advocate and senior New Voices fellow at the Aspen Institute. “First, there is a long history of referring to Blacks as monkeys. Therefore, monkeypox is racist and stigmatizes Blacks.”
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