With a national shortage of blood donations, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has started a petition to lift restrictions for donors. As it stands right now, any self-identified man who has had sex with another man in the last twelve months is not eligible to give blood. This includes trans and bisexual men.
Up until 2015, a man who had sex with another man was not allowed to donate blood regardless of how long it had been since the sexual contact. This restriction is a holdover from the HIV/AIDs epidemic, but with the current status of the world’s health, these rules are homophobic and antiquated at best.
The petition from GLAAD states that the ban “is not based in science but appears to be modeled after other countries’ choices and fears.” It also points out that the American Red Cross has objected, saying, “Blood donation eligibility should not be determined by methods that are based upon sexual orientation.” However, as of now, the American Red Cross continues to follow the ban set by the FDA.
Just last week, the American Red Cross announced that nearly 2,700 blood drives were canceled due to coronavirus, resulting in about 86,000 fewer donations. The Red Cross referred to the situation as a severe blood shortage. GLAAD, citing a study by the Williams Institute, said that lifting the FDA ban could provide an additional 360,000 men that would likely donate blood. That amount of blood could save a million lives.
“We understand why people may be hesitant to come out for a blood drive but want to reassure the public that blood donation is a safe process and that we have put additional precautions in place at our blood drives to protect the health or safety of our donors and staff,” President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Gail McGovern said.
“Holding on to an antiquated, discriminatory ban during these uncertain times is absurd. The FDA needs to put science above stigma,” GLAAD said. “Gay men, bisexual men, and men who have sex with men want to give blood and should be able to contribute to help their fellow Americans.” GLAAD’s goal for the petition is to reach 15,000 signatures, and as of this morning, they have roughly over 10,000.
