FDA relax blood donatn guil for gay and bisexual men : NPR

Contents:

• FDA DROPS BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS SPECIFIC TO GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WILL NOW BE ABLE TO DONATE BLOOD UNR FALIZED FDA L
• FDA PROPOS EASG BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS
• GAY MEN NOW ABLE TO DONATE BLOOD UTAH AFTER S-LONG BAN
• FDA PAV WAY FOR MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE BLOOD WH NEW RISK-BASED ASSSMENT
• FDA TO LOOSEN BLOOD DONATN GUIL THAT RTRICTED GAY, BISEXUAL MEN
• GAY, BISEXUAL MEN N GIVE BLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER THE FDA EASED S DONATN POLICI. HERE’S HOW THEY FEEL.
• GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
• BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• FDA PLANS TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN AND ALLOW MONOGAMO MEN TO GIVE, REPORT CLAIMS
• ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• OFFICIALS QUTN WHY FDA CONTU TO RTRICT GAY BLOOD DONORS

FDA DROPS BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS SPECIFIC TO GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

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 Food and Dg Admistratn has dropped all rtrictns specific to gay and bisexual men donatg blood, a move long anticipated by public health experts and gay rights new guidance, first proposed January and falized Thursday, will not rtrict donatns based on someone's sexual orientatn or genr inty, and stead move towards an "dividual risk-based" approach to rce the risk of accintal HIV fectn through the blood donatn FDA origally banned donatns om gay and bisexual men the midst of the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis. For example, the HIV epimic has spread far beyond gay and bisexual men, wh women acuntg for roughly 1 5 new HIV diagnos the Uned Stat, acrdg to the most recent CDC data available.

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

Peter Ch-Hong, an fect disease specialist at the Universy of California, San 2015, the FDA relaxed an outright ban on donatns om gay and bisexual men, but the 2015 guidance asked men to absta om sex for at least one year before Thursday's falized guidance, every prospective donor will be asked about their sexual history wh the past three months -- regardls of their sexual orientatn.

""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, " Sarah Kate Ellis, the print and CEO of GLAAD, said a statement, however, took issue wh one part of the updated remendatn, which urg ferral for anyone takg HIV meditns -- cludg people who are HIV negative who are takg meditns lled PrEP to prevent ferral perd uld ntue to erect barriers to LGBTQ blood donors, she said. 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.

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

“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.

FDA PROPOS EASG BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV.

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

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.

GAY MEN NOW ABLE TO DONATE BLOOD UTAH AFTER S-LONG BAN

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. Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty.

FDA PAV WAY FOR MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE BLOOD WH NEW RISK-BASED ASSSMENT

Is movg to ease rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men and other groups that tradnally face higher risks of HIV. 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. Wh the updated guil, most gay and bisexual men who are a monogamo relatnship wh a man will no longer have to rea om sex orr to donate blood.

At first, gay and bisexual men were pletely prohibed om donatg blood. 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.

FDA TO LOOSEN BLOOD DONATN GUIL THAT RTRICTED GAY, BISEXUAL MEN

The Food and Dg Admistratn on Friday proposed easg blood donatn guil for gay and bisexual current l, the FDA allows donatns om gay and bisexual men if they haven't had sex wh another man for three a draft proposal posted to the agency's webse, the FDA said the new l would allow anyone to donate blood — regardls of genr or sexual orientatn — as long as they haven't engaged certa sexual behavrs the last three months. That would mean most gay and bisexual men who are a monogamo relatnship wh another man will no longer need to absta om sex to donate blood.

”The agency's rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men stem om the AIDS crisis, which began the early 1980s, when ltle was known about the vis. Advocy groups and medil anizatns, cludg the Amerin Red Cross, have urged the FDA to lift rtrictns on blood donatns for gay and bisexual men, sayg the practice is discrimatory and has ntributed to shortag the blood supply the Uned Stat.

GAY, BISEXUAL MEN N GIVE BLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER THE FDA EASED S DONATN POLICI. HERE’S HOW THEY FEEL.

For the first time four s, gay and bisexual men will be allowed to donate blood Utah. Durg a prs nference Wednday afternoon, ARUP Blood Servic ma the announcement, makg the first donor center the state to accept donatns om the gay muny. “The are excg chang to the guil that have historilly impacted gay and bisexual men for four s.”.

GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE

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.

BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

"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.

Close this ntentKSTUKSTUJuly 19, 2023 at 8:17 AMGay men who were once unable to donate blood were able to participate blood driv for the very first time. US Food and Dg Admistratn on Thursday paved the way for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood by falizg new risk-based remendatns for blood donatn. Before the FDA began takg a send look at s guidance several years ago, gay and bisexual men had faced a lifetime ban on blood donatn, a move that many said was discrimatory.

FDA PLANS TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN AND ALLOW MONOGAMO MEN TO GIVE, REPORT CLAIMS

Sarah Kate Ellis, Print and CEO of GLAAD, the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn, said the new remendatns signal “the begng of the end of a dark and discrimatory past rooted fear and homophobia, ” but argued that by excludg people takg PrEP, they didn’t go far enough.

ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

The US Food and Dg Admistratn on Friday announced chang to l that have long rtricted many gay and bisexual men om givg blood.

Until 2015, gay and bisexual men weren't allowed to donate blood at all. In 2020, the FDA shortened s ferral perd for men who have sex wh men, changg the requirement om wag 12 months sce the last sexual ntact to three blood donatn l and bans, largely impactg gay men but also rtrictg others, cludg people who've gotten tattoos or ject dgs, are based on the asssment of who's more at risk for ntractg human immunoficiency vis (HIV). The lifetime blood donatn rtrictn on men who have sex wh men that expired 2015 had been created the 1980s durg the HIV/AIDS crisis, which disproportnately impacted gay and bisexual men.

"That a science-based, dividualized risk asssment is the bt, most equable way to ensure safety of the blood supply while rcg unnecsary discrimatn agast gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex wh men.

OFFICIALS QUTN WHY FDA CONTU TO RTRICT GAY BLOOD DONORS

We regnize the hurt the prev FDA policy that rtricted gay and bisexual men om blood donatn has ed and that the are jt the first steps repairg relatnships wh the broar LGBTQ+ muny. Jefey Marks, a 62-year-old wrer livg Ccnati has btersweet feelgs about the Food and Dg Admistratn’s recent cisn to ease rtrictns on queer men donatg a close iend fell ill many years ago, Marks had tried donatg blood at the iend's requt but he was turned away om performg the potentially life savg act bee he was gay, spe havg been a long-term monogamo relatnship wh a man for years. "The s-long FDA ban on queer men donatg, begun 1983, was direct rponse to the HIV/AIDS crisis, which disproportnately affected gay and bisexual men.

Later, 2020, beme a three-month perd, due to an creased need for donatns the early days of, on May 11, the FDA enacted a plan to lift all rtrictns that directly target gay and bisexual men, choosg stead to asss all donors equally, regardls of their genr or sexual inty. He has wanted to donate blood for years but never uld bee he is gay. Dpe this urgent need for donatns, people who have sex wh gay or bisexual men are still facg rtrictns on their abily to give Food and Dg Admistratn bars people who have had sex wh gay or bisexual men om donatg blood for three months followg the most recent sexual ntact bee of fears of HIV the blood agency changed the ferral perd om 12 months to three months November 2020 as blood donatns fell and hospals faced cril shortag durg the first year of the COVID-19 advot, cludg the Human Rights Campaign, say the FDA is movg too slowly on removg the rtrictn, sayg that 's an outright ban on the abily of people, particularly gay and bisexual men, to donate blood.