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I look forward to a future where we can express our solidarity with those who are harmed or in need through our needed donations. The oppressive, outdated policy on queer blood is one, and it must come to an end. Today is a painful reminder that there are still so many battles left for us to fight. It is a celebration of our audacity to exist.Īnd so, in the spirit of Pride, in the spirit of Stonewall, in the spirit of our LGBT family members who have been stolen from us too soon, let us continue to resist. Above all, Pride is a celebration of resistance. Thank God for groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one Muslim group mobilizing support to keep blood supplies up.Īs we celebrate Pride – and yes, we will celebrate even in the wake of tragedy, as we always have – let us remember our radical roots. It is an outrage that, despite the facts and despite calls to lift the ban from experts across the country, homophobia and gay panic keeps it in place. It is an outrage that our blood can be spilled but not donated. This is actually false, as local donor service OneBlood confirms. Misinformation spread on social media Sunday, saying that the ban on gay blood has been temporarily lifted in Orlando because of high need. Other countries, such as Argentina, have already done away with it. In short, the ban on gay blood is unjustified. HIV-positive donors can be screened out and only one in 2m transfusions result in an HIV infection. The American Medical Association called for an end to the ban in 2013, saying it was discriminatory and without a sound scientific basis.
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Regulations against gay blood arrived in 1983 in response to the panic surrounding the HIV/Aids epidemic. They were presented as an end to the ban on gay men’s blood – but they still mean even gay men who have been in a completely monogamous relationship for a year are barred from donating. These new rules were put into practice in late 2015. But gay and bisexual men who want to give today are encountering an obstacle: the FDA requires a year of celibacy before men who have sex with men can donate blood.