’Stupid primate!’ Beloved health official reveals the torrent of racist threats that put him through 'hell'
A prominent Black health official in Maryland has revealed some of the racist and anti-gay threats he received before stepping down as the face of his county's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Quite frankly, it was disgusting," Montgomery County Chief Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles told WUSA9, two weeks after abruptly announcing his resignation, and days before it takes effect.
"For the first time, Gayles made public an example of the messages by providing WUSA9 with a copy of an email he received on Aug. 3, 2020," the station reported. "The attacker called him a 'stupid primate,' but the rest of the email is so profane, homophobic and racist, WUSA9 has redacted much of it."
Gayles said he received dozens of similar emails, but police investigations have not yielded any charges.
"I have a fairly thick skin and you can throw that at me," Gayles told the station. "But what was most disturbing to me is ... [it] was completely disrespectful to the significant effort of all of the people who have been working tirelessly from the very beginning of this to keep our residents safe. I think the larger issue is, it speaks to what I strongly feel is the unnecessary politicization of the response, where we went from a situation where everyone was collectively together, to keep everyone safe. ... Unfortunately, it continues to play out now as we've seen how COVID is disproportionately impacting certain parts of the country where some of those political battles have been much more significant."
Gayles said the hateful threats were not a factor in his resignation. According to Maryland Matters, County Executive Marc B. Elrich noted in the wake of Gayles' resignation that he also clashed with state leaders including Republican Gov. Larry Hogan over policies governing business activity, social gatherings, mask requirements and vaccine allotments.
Gayles "had to fight with his boss," Elrich said. He "advocated policies that were often opposed to what the governor was advocating. To be at odds with your boss is not always an easy thing to do."
Elrich told reporters that Gayles has "gone through hell over the past 18 months," adding that he was "attacked in unprecedented ways throughout this," Maryland Matters reported.
"He absorbed a torrent of hate and vitriol from segments of the public, including receiving threats on his safety, racist and homophobic emails, and social media attacks," Elrich said.
WUSA9 noted that Gayles, who will become chief health officer for a San Francisco-based startup, leaves Montgomery County with one of the highest vaccination rates in the country.
"I believe Dr. Gayles will go down as one of the most important people in our county's history," Elrich said, according to Maryland Matters. "His leadership, his strength, during probably the most significant public health threat any of us have ever experienced, has been remarkable."
Watch WUSA9's report below.
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