Historic blood shortage fuels lls for FDA to ease rtrictns on gay men donatg blood - CBS News

Contents:

• MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WILL NOW BE ABLE TO DONATE BLOOD UNR FALIZED FDA L
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• ANONYMO IRS WHISTLEBLOWER PRENTS NUNDM FOR MEDIA – HE’S A ‘GAY DEMOCRAT MARRIED TO A MAN’
• NEW BLOOD DONATN RUL TO LOOSEN RTRICTNS ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• HOW FDA'S FORTHG BLOOD DONOR POLICY CHANGE ULD HELP ADDRS STIGMA ABOUT GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• AMAZON, AT&T AND FEDEX AMONG PANI THAT HAVE DONATED TO LAWMAKERS WHO BACK ANTI-GAY POLICI
• DOCTORS SAY 'S TIME TO END BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL
• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• CHICK-FIL-A'S ANTI-GAY DONATNS TOTALED NEARLY $2 MILLN IN 2010: REPORT
• MEMO TO MEDIA: CHICK-FIL-A HASN'T END ITS ANTI-GAY DONATNS
• HISTORIC BLOOD SHORTAGE FUELS LLS FOR FDA TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD
• CRICS LL TO END THREE-MONTH CELIBACY REQUIREMENT FOR GAY, BISEXUAL MEN AMID BLOOD SHORTAGE
• FDA LNCH STUDY THAT ULD LEAD TO REMOVAL OF RTRICTNS ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• THE ANTI-GAY DONATNS THAT TARGET APOLOGIZED FOR? THEY NEVER STOPPED

MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WILL NOW BE ABLE TO DONATE BLOOD UNR FALIZED FDA L

Advertisement - Contue Readg Below4 The Lbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgenr Communy Center The Lbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgenr Communy CenterWhy you should donate rn: As the largt LGBTQ+ muny center on the East Coast (and the send largt the world! Named after the famed wrer Audre Lor, the center foc on programs like 3rd Space, an important part of the project that helps lbian, gay, bisexual, two-spir, trans, and genr nonnformg people of lor wh tn, employment, and immigratn assistance. “Found 1973 after the simple act of a mother publicly supportg her gay son, ” PFLAG matas hundreds of chapters across the natn and is the olst anizatn foced on tg and supportg the relatnships between LGBTQ+ people and those they love most.

Many Voic is a “black church movement for gay and transgenr jtice, ” that go beyond jt rrectg prejudice wh the church and advotg for a more clive theology, but also liftg up and tg future lears wh the movement. CenterLk, to fd lol anizatns wh the CenterLk workPFLAG, to fd their lol chapters (there are lots)’s search tool, to fd lol support for LGBTQ+ youthLearn more about startg an LGBTQ+ support group your munyHigh school stunts, teachers, and admistrators n learn about startg a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) at their school Charable shoppg for good. A meangful way to celebrate Pri Month 2020 is by donatg to one of the many LGBTQ+ chari that addrs issu facg the queer and trans muni — om mental health and homelsns among LGBTQ+ youth to discrimatn agast gay, lbian and bisexual parents.

LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS

Acrdg to the Postsendary Natnal Policy Instute, while the LGBTQ+ stunt populatn lleg and universi is growg steadily, many gay, lbian, queer, trans, tersex and genr non-nformg llege stunts still face forms of discrimatn and bullyg school. If you’re young, we’re here for you; if you’re olr, we’re here for you; if you’re a person of lour, we’re here for you; if you’re a man, a woman, or non-bary, we’re here for you; lbian, gay, bi, trans - however you scribe yourself - we’re here for you. The Food and Dg Admistratn (FDA) said Thursday had officially elimated rtrictns that had prevly prohibed many blood donatns by gay and bisexual men — a longstandg policy that crics say is discrimatory.

UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

Print and CEO of GLAAD Sarah Kate Ellis echoed that approval a statement, sayg "The FDA's cisn to follow science and issue new remendatns for all Amerins, regardls of sexual orientatn, who selflsly donate blood to help save liv, signals the begng of the end of a dark and discrimatory past rooted fear and homophobia, " However, Ellis said while the new guidance is a step the right directn, there is still a barrier for LGBTQ+ people who are on PrEP, an FDA-approved dg proven to prevent the transmissn of HIV, who may want to donate blood.

" In craftg the new guidance, the FDA has been lookg to the rults of a study of about 1, 600 gay and bisexual men to velop screeng qutns that n intify potential donors who are most likely to be fected wh HIV.

“It is my opn that we ntue to have a real problem wh laws and regulatns based on fear rather than science, ” she ntuatn of a MSM-specific barrier to givg is not only limg the blood supply, ’s unnecsary and “rooted homophobia, ” explas Perry N.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Conducted tanm wh the natn’s largt blood centers—the Amerin Red Cross, Valant, and OneBlood—the rearch effort will survey 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across the untry between the ag of 18 and 30 who have had sex wh at least one man the past three months. S., the Red Cross, along wh One Blood, Valant and partner LGBTQ+ muny health centers, are participatg a pilot study fund by the FDA select ci that uld potentially lead to chang for blood donor eligibily creria for gay and bisexual men.

The urt found 303’s ADF’s rightwg advocy extends further, however, as the anizatn has donated to more than a dozen anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortn found that the ADF donated $85, 000 to the Child and Parental Rights Campaign, a group which, acrdg to a Poli report, helped Florida Republins shape the state’s so-lled “don’t say gay” law, which prohibs discsn of sexual orientatn and genr inty group has also sued two school districts Florida over issu relatg to the rights of trans youth.

Turns out, the man who ttified before the Hoe Ways & Means Commtee last month is expected to reveal that addn to beg a 13-year special agent wh the IRS’ Crimal Invtigatn Divisn, he is a “gay Democrat married to a man, ” acrdg to Fox News. SALT LAKE CITY — The Food and Dg Admistratn is easg rtrictns on blood donatns next week, particular for gay men hop that Ameri's blood supply will be Blood Servic will be the first Utah and one of the first donor centers the entire untry to implement the new guil. "Now that qutn is pletely gone and ’s been replaced wh three, new, clive qutns that we ask all donors, irrpective of their genr or sexual orientatn, ” he goal of the change rtrictns is to lower barriers hop that more gay men will now choose to donate bee the need for blood is nstant.

ANONYMO IRS WHISTLEBLOWER PRENTS NUNDM FOR MEDIA – HE’S A ‘GAY DEMOCRAT MARRIED TO A MAN’

Said the new guil would be more clive and were based on a review of data om other Fremson/The New York TimThe Food and Dg Admistratn plans to revise a longstandg policy that exclud most gay and bisexual men om blood donatn, stead adoptg an approach that will screen donors pendg on their recent sexual activy, agency officials said on move follows years of cricism om L. In 2015, the agency allowed gay and bisexual men to donate if they had not had sexual ntact wh other men for the prev perd was rced to three months after severe blood shortag durg the Covid-19 F. Food and Dg Admistratn is nsirg updatg s blood donatn policy, which currently plac some rtrictns on blood donatns om sexually active gay and bisexual a statement, an FDA spokperson said, "While we n't ment on what might be the ntent of the guidance, we n say that the screeng policy we put forward will be genr ntral and science-based.

NEW BLOOD DONATN RUL TO LOOSEN RTRICTNS ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

"As LGBTQ lears and medil experts have been sayg for years: bans and rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men are rooted stigma, not science, " said Sarah Kate Ellis, print and CEO of ntued, "Givg one set of l to some people, and another set of l to others, based purely on inty, is blatant discrimatn. The Salvatn Army has said the past that the Bible forbids sexual timacy between members of the same sex, that gay Christians should embrace celibacy and that scripture do not support same-sex marriag, acrdg to Snop. Gay rights anizatn GLAAD said a statement that Chick-fil-A ctomers and employe should “greet today’s announcement wh ut optimism” but says the pany still has a checkered policy when to LGBTQ rights.

HOW FDA'S FORTHG BLOOD DONOR POLICY CHANGE ULD HELP ADDRS STIGMA ABOUT GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

"It's te that there's a higher prevalence of HIV among gay and bisexual men, but the vast majory of gay and bisexual men don't have HIV, " said Sean Cahill, director of health policy rearch for the Fenway Instute.

"Cahill -thored a paper the New England Journal of Medice last year lookg at the rults of a cisn by the Uned Kgdom to drop a siar ban, and llg for the Uned Stat to do the add the ban n put gay and bisexual men a difficult posn when blood driv are held, forcg them to disclose their sexualy, or seem like they're choosg not to participate an altistic Wu remembers the first time he learned that he was not able to give blood bee of his sexualy, at a blood drive llege.

"As a gay man, there is somethg that strik a eply paful nerve by beg told that your blood is tated, that the blood that urs through you is que lerally worthy only of beg disrd, " he asked about the agency's current policy, an FDA spokperson poted to a study is fundg lled ADVANCE to terme if a change the policy uld be ma while matag the safety of the blood supply.

AMAZON, AT&T AND FEDEX AMONG PANI THAT HAVE DONATED TO LAWMAKERS WHO BACK ANTI-GAY POLICI

The document shows enti related to the pany to be two of the largt donors to the anizatn fundg a right-wg Christian agenda, vtg tens, if not hundreds, of lns of dollars to a vast work of anizatns workg ncert to advance an agenda that would allow bs to discrimate agast gays and lbians and ny their employe ntraceptiv unr a maximalist terpretatn of the Free Exercise Clse of the Uned Stat Constutn.

Hobby Lobby-related enti are some of the biggt sourc of fundg to the Natnal Christian Charable Foundatn, which backed groups that llaborated promotg the anti-gay legislatn Arizona – recently vetoed by Gov.

DOCTORS SAY 'S TIME TO END BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

“There are really close legal nnectns between [Arizona’s anti-gay SB 1062 bill] and the [Hobby Lobby] Supreme Court se, ” Ey Mart, vice print and general unsel at the Natnal Women’s Law Center, told Salon. Fast food cha Chick-fil-A ntued to ntribute lns of dollars to anizatns wh anti-LGBTQ agendas after promised not to, newly released tax filgs obtaed by ThkProgrs privately owned cha, long associated wh anti-LGBTQ , publicly pledged not to “have a polil or social agenda” after s billnaire CEO, Dan Cathy, stoked outrage and a boytt 2012 publicly cryg gay marriage. Gay and bisexual men England, Stland, and Wal n now donate blood, plasma and platelets unr certa circumstanc whout havg to wa three months, the Natnal Health Service announced this week.

Gay and bisexual men England, Stland, and Wal n now donate blood, plasma and platelets unr certa circumstanc, the Natnal Health Service announced this week a momento shift policy for most of the U. As reported by Equaly Matters and The Advote -- among other publitns -- a newly-released analysis of Chick-fil-A's charable work has found that the fast found cha donated nearly $2 ln to anti-gay groups over the urse of 2010. Meanwhile, The New Civil Rights Movement's David Badash prents an even more disturbg figure: that Chick-fil-A has donated an timated $5 ln to anti-gay anizatns and hate groups between 2003 and 2010.

"And, on that note, I'm jt gog to have to assume that anyone who spends their money there are pletely fe wh the fact that an anti-gay rporatn not only exists, but ph money to other groups to ntue the wispread practice of discrimatg agast everyone the LGBT muny. In Febary, Northeastern Universy officials reportedly squashed plans for a mp-based anchise of the fast food cha, after "stunt ncerns reflected [Chick-fil-A's] history of donatg to anti-gay anizatns, " acrdg to the Boston Globe.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL

In a January 28 Huffgton Post article, Camp Pri executive director Shane Wdmeyer reported that - acrdg to the 2011 IRS 990 tax form he had seen - Chick-fil-A had ceased s practice of donatg lns of dollars to anti-gay groups through s charable arm, the WShape Foundatn.

“Current and former blood donatn polici ma unfound assumptns about gay and bisexual men and really entangled dividuals’ inty wh their likelihood of havg HIV, ” said Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocy group.

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

Senators penned a letter to the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Servic Thursday, urgg them to replace the "discrimatory" le that requir gay and bisexual men to absta om sexual activy for three months before donatg blood. The FDA, which is rponsible for the regulatory oversight of Ameri's blood supply, first imposed a ban on gay and bisexual men donatg blood 1983, durg the early years of the HIV/AIDS epimic.

CHICK-FIL-A'S ANTI-GAY DONATNS TOTALED NEARLY $2 MILLN IN 2010: REPORT

The rults of the ADVANCE study were expected December 2021, but have been layed due lack of participatn, acrdg to the Amerin Red Jam Yezak, the founr of the Natnal Gay Blood Drive, an anizatn that advot for the equal treatment of blood donatns by gay and bisexual men, says the feral ernment needs make more of an effort wh the muny to raise awarens and boost participatn for the study. The agency add there is no specific timele on when the studi may be Califf, Print Bin's nomee to lead the FDA, said his Senate nfirmatn hearg that he is aware of the dividual risk asssment study and pledged to move quickly when the rults e week, Greece and France have announced they were liftg their ferral perds, allowg gay and bisexual men to donate blood whout rtrictns.

MEMO TO MEDIA: CHICK-FIL-A HASN'T END ITS ANTI-GAY DONATNS

Amid a natnal blood shortage, LGBTQ advot and more than two dozen members of Congrs are llg on the Food and Dg Admistratn to further ease donor rtrictns on sexually active gay and bisexual be eligible to donate blood the Uned Stat, men who have sex wh men mt absta om same-sex sexual activy for 90 days. ”“This is a crisis of the FDA’s own makg, ” said Jay Franzone, an LGBTQ advote who remaed abstent for a year to donate blood January 2017, abidg by former and more strgent FDA rtrictns for gay and bisexual men.

HISTORIC BLOOD SHORTAGE FUELS LLS FOR FDA TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD

Given advanc blood screeng and safety technology, a time-based policy for gay and bisexual men is not scientifilly sound, ntu to effectively exclu an entire group of people, and do not meet the urgent mands of the moment, ” the group Democratic members of the Hoe Oversight Commtee, addn to two openly LGBTQ members of the Hoe — Rep. If the FDA were to lift donor bans for men who have sex wh men, the annual blood supply would crease by 2 to 4 percent or 345, 400 to 615, 300 pts of blood annually, acrdg to the Williams Instute, a thk tank at UCLA School of FDA self said a statement that while is “nsirg the possibily of pursug alternative strategi that mata blood safety, ” more rmatn is need to revise the three month ferral perd of 2019, an timated 70 percent of new HIV fectns — 24, 500 of 34, 800 — the Uned Stat were among gay and bisexual men, acrdg the Centers for Disease Control and Richard Benjam, the former chief medil officer at the Amerin Red Cross who is now the chief medil officer at the bmedil products pany Ces Corp., argued that based on what the scientific muny knows about HIV ttg, the wag perd is still moot. Several other untri — cludg the Uned Kgdom, Canada and Greece — have lifted or moved to end such rtrictns on gay and bisexual men donatg blood throughout the panmic, wh France announcg on Tuday that will lift s limatns advocy groups lled on the U.

The FDA is sharg new tails on a study 's fundg that uld lead to the removal of longtime rtrictns around blood donatns by gay or bisexual first-of-s-kd pilot study aims to gather and prent data to the FDA for review by late 2021, ABC News has learned exclively. The mandate, based solely on sexual preference, required all gay and bisexual men to absta om sex wh men for three months before beg eligible to give new creria, hailed as "landmark change, " acrdg to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hanck, will stead foc on dividualized risk-based asssments. The le appli to gay and bisexual men who are monogamo, tt HIV-negative and are practicg safe sex, as well as to gay and bisexual COVID-19 survivors who wish to donate nvalcent rtrictn on blood donatns me out of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, when limed ttg technology existed to screen blood for HIV.

Barbara Alper/Getty ImagThat existed until 2015, when the FDA removed the lifetime ban and enacted a 12-month ferral perd, meang gay or bisexual men had to absta om havg sex wh other men for at least 12 months before donatg the COVID-19 crisis and lls om the surgeon general for healthy Amerins to give blood and avert shortag, the FDA April revised down the 12-month perd to three ADVANCE study will clu about 2, 000 men who've had sex wh men and wish to donate blood and "uld generate data that will help the FDA terme if a donor qutnnaire based on dividual risk asssment would be as effective as time-based ferrals rcg the risk of HIV, " the FDA said. San Stramer, vice print of scientific affairs at the Red Cross, add: "If the scientific evince supports the e of addnal qutns, uld mean that gay and bisexual men who prent to donate would be asssed based on their own dividualized risk of HIV fectn and not acrdg to when their last enunter wh another man occurred.

CRICS LL TO END THREE-MONTH CELIBACY REQUIREMENT FOR GAY, BISEXUAL MEN AMID BLOOD SHORTAGE

Blood donatn polici for gay and bisexual men, and other LGBTQ people, are outdated, out of le wh science, and mt change to be based on dividual asssments rather than discrimatory blanket bans.

Acrdg to documents filed wh the FEC October 2010, Target ntued donatg to a bevy of anti-gay policians even after Stehafel apologized and mted to reformg the review procs for future polil donatns. Michigan’s David Camp, who, addn to supportg a Constutnal Amendment banng same-sex marriage, voted agast protectg gays om job discrimatn based on sexual orientatn, also reported money. Through October, Target PAC thoands of dollars donatns were rerd to Michael Crapo and Dave Reichert, both supporters of anti-gay Constutnal amendments, and Rob Portman, a supporter of banng gays om adoptg.

Jt one year ago, Kle went beyond his legislative duty and add his name as a platiff to a lawsu filed agast the District of Columbia Board of Electns and Ethics mandg a voter referendum on banng gay marriage. This is not bee they re about wng hearts and mds over gay rights or marriage policy, but bee their re objective is to margalize polil opponents and chill Christian philanthropy and activism. The stunt senate at Northeastern Universy, Boston, voted to end negotiatns to brg fast-food cha Chick-fil-A to mp after stunts protted over the pany's affiliatn wh several Christian anizatns the stunts say have an "anti-gay" Atlanta-based pany, dogged for months by accatns of homophobia, sists is "not anti-anybody" but stead simply wants to "gracly serve great food and have a posive fluence on all who e ntact wh Chick-fil-A.

FDA LNCH STUDY THAT ULD LEAD TO REMOVAL OF RTRICTNS ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Chick-fil-A print and chief operatg officer Dan Cathy's July 2012 terview wh the Baptist Prs generated even more ntroversy over the issue, wh crics matag he had virtually acknowledged the pany supports an anti-gay marriage agenda:.

THE ANTI-GAY DONATNS THAT TARGET APOLOGIZED FOR? THEY NEVER STOPPED

Meno is vowg to block Chick-fil-A om brgg s Southern-ied fast-food empire to Boston — possibly to a popular tourist spot jt steps om the Freedom Trail — after the fay-owned firm’s print suggted gay marriage is "vg God’s judgment on our natn.