U.K. ends rtrictn on gay and bisexual men donatg blood - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN COULD SOON DONATE BLOOD
• WHY ARE BLOOD BANKS STILL REFG GAY AND BI MEN’S BLOOD DONATNS?
• U.K. ENDS RTRICTN ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN DONATG BLOOD
• FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN’S VIEWS ON REFORMG BLOOD DONATN POLICY CANADA: A QUALATIVE STUDY
• NO CREASE HIV BLOOD DONATNS SCE L FOR GAY MEN WERE RELAXED

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

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. But there is one easily implementable solutn to the natnal blood-supply shortage that’s been available for years and uld be a lifele: allowg gay and bisexual men to donate eely. S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or “men who have sex wh men”) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex wh another man the past three months.

“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. ”In 2015, theFDA loosened s rtrictn, permtg gay and bisexual men to donate blood as long as they hadn’t had sex wh another man the past year. For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV.

MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN COULD SOON DONATE BLOOD

Same go for gay men who are married or a long-term monogamo relatnship. 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. ”The policy change uld have a signifint posive effect on the mental health of gay and bisexual men, too.

It also puts gay and bisexual men at higher risk for acquirg HIV over time. “Social and stctural factors that e gay men to feel othered e them to engage risky sexual behavr, ” Halkis says. So a ban like this isn’t jt harmful to the Amerin public; “’s credibly harmful to the gay muny, both emotnally and physilly.

The first step is to sign GLAAD’s petn at You then n—and should—te those around you, “sce many people, cludg gay and bi men, don’t know that this ban exists, ” adds Lasky.

WHY ARE BLOOD BANKS STILL REFG GAY AND BI MEN’S BLOOD DONATNS?

Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty. “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, ” Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, an advocy group, tells Matthew Perone of the Associated Prs (AP).

Gay Rights,. However, women who have recently had sex wh a gay or bisexual man may be ferred.

Gay and bisexual men are eligible to donate three months after their last sexual enunter wh another man.

U.K. ENDS RTRICTN ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN DONATG BLOOD

Earlier this month, the Food and Dg Admistratn said would be easg rtrictns on blood donatns by gay and bisexual men. In 2015, health officials began to allow some gay men to donate based on their recent sexual histori; now, due to a “severe” blood supply shortage ed by the COVID-19 outbreak, the barrier to donate is even more fivg.

FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

I was told that due to antiquated and discrimatory guil by the FDA to prevent HIV, I am eligible to donate blood bee I’m a gay man, ” he said. John Murray, assistant director of munitns at UCI Health, told Vice that their abily to accept blood om gay and bisexual men hged on “revisn to and FDA approval of the Amerin Associatn of Blood Bank’s donor history qutnnaire” — which apparently hasn’t happened yet. Many advot are llg for more dividualized asssments of high-risk sexual behavr of donors, rather than treatg gay and bisexual men as a monolh.

Prevly, gay and bisexual men England, Stland and Wal were not permted to donate wh three months of havg been sexually active, due to fears around the transmissn of HIV/AIDS and other fectns, spe studi showg no creased risk, as all donor sampl are tted Northern Ireland Blood Transfn Service has layed implementg the new creria until September, sayg needs more time to prepare for the December, followg a two-year-long study led by Brish blood servic and LGBTQ groups, the NHS announced would be revisg s creria effective this summer.

Gay and bisexual men who had revered om vid-19 were also barred om donatg their plasma to U.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN’S VIEWS ON REFORMG BLOOD DONATN POLICY CANADA: A QUALATIVE STUDY

Policy remas discrimatory as is based on “membership a group … rather than engagement risky behavr, such as unprotected sex, ” read a statement on the anizatn’s sexually active gay men are barred, said, a straight man or woman “who has had unprotected sex wh multiple partners over the same time ame wh no knowledge of their personal histori remas the donor pool. Is movg to further ease rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men and other groups that typilly face higher risks of Food and Dg Admistratn on Friday announced draft guil that would do away wh the current three-month abstence requirement for donatns om men who have sex wh men. Instead, all potential donors would be screened wh a new qutnnaire that evaluat their dividual risks for HIV based on sexual behavr, recent partners and other falized, many gay and bisexual men monogamo relatnships would be able to donate blood for the first time s.

“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 U.

NO CREASE HIV BLOOD DONATNS SCE L FOR GAY MEN WERE RELAXED

And many other untri started blockg blood donatns om gay and bisexual men durg the early 1980's AIDS epimic, aimg to prevent the spread of HIV through the blood 2015, the FDA dropped the lifetime ban and replaced wh a one-year abstence requirement.

The policy would also apply to women who have sex wh gay or bisexual who has ever tted posive for HIV would ntue to be eligible to donate blood.

“We mt be nsc to not further stigmatize the safe sex practic and uplift dividuals takg preutns, ” said Jose Abrigo of Lambda Legal, which has long phed to change the FDA FDA based s latt proposal, part, on a recent study of 1, 600 gay and bisexual men.