Apr 17
Out Australian Politician Takes to OF with a Different Kind of Content
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Even the most seasoned OnlyFans habitué might be surprised by the content openly gay Australian politician Stephen Bates is bringing to the platform.
UK newspaper the Guardian reported that the 32-year-old Member of Parliament has taken to the platform not to titillate, but rather to educate – specifically, about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), HIV prevention drug regimens that Bates' party, the Greens, says should be provided free of charge to those with prescriptions.
The Guardian noted that it would "normally be a career-ending move for a politician to be joining a site known for pornography," but Bates won his seat after a campaign that played out, in part, on Grindr. He has made reaching out to constituents where they can be found part of his messaging.
"I campaign on OnlyFans and Grindr because it gets attention," the pol said. "Sometimes you have to make a splash to make people pay attention to the things that matter."
Said Bates: "Ending HIV is too important to fly under the radar."
PrEP and PEP have both been instrumental in the fight against the global AIDS epidemic, and, the Guardian relayed, use of the regimens "is a key component of the federal government's goal to eliminate HIV transmission in Australia by 2030."
But the costs to individuals using them are not inconsiderable.
"Currently PrEP prescriptions, if taken daily, can cost $31.60 a month on the PBS [Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme], though Labor's policy is to reduce this to $25 a month if re-elected," the Guardian said. "About 100,000 people in Australia use PrEP and PEP."
"The Greens argued that the gap between what the PBS cost is and what people pay at the pharmacy has increased – meaning people have begun paying more for the drug in the past few years."
A politician joining OnlyFans is such a rarity that the Guardian was able to identify only one other instance: the brief presence there of former Rep. George Santos, whose scandal-ridden tenure in Congress ended with his expulsion. Santos' legal woes made headlines again earlier this month when news broke that he may be facing seven years in prison on charges of fraud and identity theft.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
