Why Do FDA Ban ‘Gay’ Blood? - GMHC

Contents:

• FDA DROPS BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS SPECIFIC TO GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• 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
• FDA PROPOS EASG BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• O, POSIVE CHANGE: FDA LIFTS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS FROM GAY, BISEXUAL MEN
• WHY DO FDA BAN ‘GAY’ BLOOD?
• FDA BLOOD DONOR POLICY FOR GAY MEN PERPETUAT STIGMA CONCERNS
• TST-BUILDG SOUGHT WH FDA’S BLOOD DONOR POLICY FOR GAY MEN
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS
• GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL
• NEW ATRALIAN BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY MEN DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH, ADVOT SAY
• F.D.A. EASG BAN ON GAYS, TO LET SOME GIVE BLOOD
• FDA LIFTS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• WHY CAN'T GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD ATRALIA?
• RSIAN LAWMAKER PROPOS BANNG GAYS OM DONATG BLOOD

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.

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. 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.

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

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.

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. Same go for gay men who are married or a long-term monogamo relatnship.

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

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.

FDA PROPOS EASG BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

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.

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.

O, POSIVE CHANGE: FDA LIFTS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS FROM GAY, BISEXUAL MEN

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. Food and Dg Admistratn (FDA) recently paved the way for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood by falizg, after two years, their new risk-based remendatns for blood donatn. For many years, the FDA upheld a ban on gay and bisexual men donatg blood, a policy that was put place 1983 durg the height of the HIV/AIDS epimic, based on the prumptn that gay men are at higher risk of ntractg HIV and other blood-borne fectns.

Blood supply is dangeroly low bee of a sharp drop donatns durg the COVID-19 so, gay and bisexual men, clilly referred to as “men who have sex wh men” or MSM, are still beg told that their blood is too “dangero” to donate. MSM mt be celibate for three months to give blood bee of a Food and Dg Admistratn (FDA) policy datg back 40 years to the onset of the AIDS ban do harm by perpetuatg the stigma that HIV/AIDS is a “gay disease, ” said Jason Cianctto, GMHC’s vice print of munitns and policy.

“It suggts there is somethg herently wrong and ‘dirty’ about gay and bisexual men that mak them diseased and dangero to others. ”Gay and bisexual men are the only group sgled out for the three-month ferral bee of who they are.

WHY DO FDA BAN ‘GAY’ BLOOD?

People livg wh HIV also n’t FDA’s blanket ferral clus many HIV-negative people wh a low-to-zero risk of HIV fectn, and accurately suggts all gay and bisexual men are livg wh stance, although Cianctto and his hband are not an open relatnship, the three-month celibacy perd still appli. Dpe enormo advanc scientific knowledge about HIV transmissn and the advent of highly accurate blood screeng tts, the FDA has not changed s policy targetg gay and bisexual HIV and AIDS was rrectly labeled a “gay disease” the early 1980s, the FDA imposed a lifetime blood donatn ban on any man who’d had sex wh another man sce 1977, along wh sex workers, traveno dg ers and people livg wh HIV.

This wdow is signifintly ls than the three months of celibacy required by the ’s roleFor s, GMHC has been fightg the discrimatory ban bee falsely stigmatiz gay and bisexual men as rriers of a “gay disease. Prompted by the COVID-19 epimic, the FDA December 2020 signed off on a pilot study for three major blood centers, the Amerin Red Cross, Valant and OneBlood, to do jt ADVANCE Study is recg 2, 000 gay and bisexual men eight ci to supply a blood sample and answer behavral qutns about HIV risk factors. They have not yet been able to rec the requise 2000 gay and bisexual men, perhaps bee the study self, by focg solely on this populatn, perpetuat the stigma of “gay blood.

”“At a time when I was still figurg out my inty, the ernment was affirmg harmful thgs I had been raised to believe about myself: If you are gay, you will die alone om AIDS, ” he hasn’t been advotg all the years to endg the discrimatory ferral perd jt so gay and bisexual men n give blood, Cianctto said. ”Thirty years after Cianctto’s troublg experience, a gay male teen tryg to do their civic duty and give blood will still be asked if they’ve had sex wh a man—and turned away if the answer is y. ”Photo: Blood Mirror is a sculpture and llaborative project by Jordan Eagl, created wh 59 blood donatns om gay, bisexual, and transgenr men.

FDA BLOOD DONOR POLICY FOR GAY MEN PERPETUAT STIGMA CONCERNS

‘Far From Perfect’Gay, bisexual, and other men who report male-to-male sexual ntact are disproportnately affected by HIV. “My hope is that more studi n be done to gather more rmatn on the safety of var formulatns of PrEP and blood donatn, so that the polici n ntue to be up-to-date wh the science, and to make sure the polici are not driven by assumptns rooted stigma, homophobia and sex-negativy, ” Hahn add.

The change would mark a shift om s-long rtrictns, and would fall le wh the approach several other untri already take on donatns om men who have sex wh public health profsnals say ’s likely that not all gay and bisexual men will be eager to le up at blood driv if the FDA eas s rtrictns, cg the years of polici the LGBT muny and advocy groups have long nsired discrimatory, as well as lgerg stigma associated wh HIV diagnosis and transmissn.

“Wearg both the hat of the public health scientist and as a gay man, I won’t be wantg to donate blood once this policy change” happens, unls “I see ernmental officials and partners m their time, rourc, and energy to this iative, ” said Anthony J. “A policy change isn’t gog to overnight change how gay, bi, and other men who have sex wh men feel about how we’ve been treated as a muny, ” add Santella, who specializ rearch on fect disease preventn and ntrol among those livg wh HIV. While gay, bisexual, and other men who report male-to-male sexual ntact are disproportnately affected by HIV, medil tra associatns and LGBT advocy groups have long railed agast the blood donatn lims as discrimatory and not based on science.

TST-BUILDG SOUGHT WH FDA’S BLOOD DONOR POLICY FOR GAY MEN

Feral rtrictns on blood donatns om men who have sex wh men stem date back to 1983, when the FDA imposed lifetime blood donatn bans on gay and bisexual men rponse to multiple s which patients beme fected wh HIV via transfns. The agency lifted the ban 2015, and said gay and bisexual men uld donate blood after abstag om sex for at least one year. Countri like France, Italy, and the UK have already adopted dividualized risk-based approach to blood donatn creria om gay and bisexual the letter, which was signed by more than 500 health and medil profsnals, the doctors ced advancements HIV ttg that n now tect fectns wh days of exposure, improvg the abily to mata the safety of the US blood supply.

“Part of the follow up that the ernmental agenci will need to do is really take on this issue of ensurg everyone, not jt gay, bisexual, other men who have sex wh men, are ted about where we were, and where we are today, ” Santella Rodriguez-Diaz, associate profsor and vice chair of the Gee Washgton Universy’s Department of Preventn and Communy Health, said part of the feral ernment’s outreach should clu tn on how HIV is transmted, as well as the availabily of bmedil terventns like PrEP to prevent transmissn. “There are rourc that are helpg gay men makg cisns about the likelihood of havg an fectn or not, and that also helps men to ci if they’re good for blood donatn, ” he add. For the first time four s, gay and bisexual men will be allowed to donate blood Utah.

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

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.

GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS

“The are excg chang to the guil that have historilly impacted gay and bisexual men for four s. 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. Begng Monday, gay men sexually active, monogamo relatnships for at least three months n donate for the first time.

S, the abily for gay and bisexual men to donate blood is still rtricted. A ban on gay and bisexual blood donors has been effect sce the early 1980s when fears about HIV/AIDS were wispread. New Atralian blood donatn l for gay men don’t go far enough, advot sayNew l that change the barriers facg gay men who want to donate blood Atralia don’t go far enough, advot blood donatn l for gay men have e to effect on Sunday allowg them to give blood if they have been celibate for three measure has dramatilly slashed that wag perd om 12 months – which effectively banned gay men om donatg – but advot say still discrimat agast many who would wish to year the Atralian Red Cross’s Lifeblood service announced the l would be changed om January 31, 2021, after a review of s sexual activy ferral new le, which also apply to transgenr people who have had sex wh a man, appli to oral and anal sex – wh or whout a Theraptic Goods Admistratn approved Lifeblood’s plan to cut the wag perd, and to also allow homosexual men to donate plasma and platelets.

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

”Gay men had prevly been banned om donatg durg the height of the AIDS epimic the 1980s, wh those l lgerg for new change me followg a ph for blood donors durg the COVID-19 panmic, wh MPs Alex Greenwich and Dr Time Read volly supportg the move their rpective stat of NSW and Victoria.

NEW ATRALIAN BLOOD DONATN L FOR GAY MEN DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH, ADVOT SAY

“The current ernments of both the Uned Stat and the Uned Kgdom are mted to replacg their gay blood bans wh dividual risk asssment, and ‘s time for Atralia to do the same. ”The study also showed that among gay men who would donate blood, the prevalence of HIV is lower than the general populatn, Mr Croome said. 23, 2014WASHINGTON — The Food and Dg Admistratn announced Tuday that would scrap a s-old lifetime prohibn on blood donatn by gay and bisexual men, a major stri toward endg what many had seen as a natnal policy of discrimatn.

”The shift puts the Uned Stat on par wh many European untri, cludg Bra, which adjted s lifetime ban favor of a 12-month rtrictn men’s health advot lled the move long overdue, and said that the overall ban was not based on the latt science and that perpetuated a stigma about gay men as a risk to the health of the natn. Legal experts said the change brought an important natnal health policy le wh other legal and polil rights for gay Amerins, like permtg gay people to marry and to serve openly the ary.

F.D.A. EASG BAN ON GAYS, TO LET SOME GIVE BLOOD

“This is a major victory for gay civil rights, ” said I.

“We’re leavg behd the old view that every gay man is a potential fectn source. Leavg place a 12-month ban sentially blocks any gay or bisexual man who is sexually active om donatg, erasg about half the populatn of potential donors and perpetuatg what rights groups say is tougher treatment for gay and bisexual men.

G MHC, the advocy group formerly known as Gay Men’s Health Crisis, lled the new policy “offensive and harmful. ” AIDS Uned, a Washgton-based lobbyg group, said that was a “step forward, ” but that “ntu to perpetuate discrimatn agast gay and bisexual men. Marks ced data om Atralia, where studi have shown no creased risk to the blood supply after the untry changed the ban om lifetime to a groups appld the shift, potg out that had been phed for years by medil experts, blood banks and gay men’s health anizatns that argued that the policy had long outlived s efulns for safety the blood supply.

FDA LIFTS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

The Uned Stat falls disproportnately on gay and bisexual men — Mr. Fectns the Uned Stat each year occur among men who have sex wh men — the vast majory of gay and bisexual men are not H. Ksler said, part bee of chang hospals and ways of llectg groups say that current policy is unfair bee blocks a sexually active gay man om donatg even if he has had only one sexual partner, has protected sex, and has not been exposed to H.

They also argue that the lifetime ban stigmatiz homosexualy, makg seem like beg gay is a risk and of say the policy should be more dividualized, like Italy’s, which potential donors are terviewed to screen for higher-risk donors, like people wh multiple sexual partners or who report sex wh traveno dg ers or Marks said the agency was puttg a surveillance system to place that would help the agency monor the effect of the policy G. Easg Ban on Gays, to Let Some Give Blood. FDA Lifts Ban On Blood Donatns By Gay And Bisexual Men.

WHY CAN'T GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD ATRALIA?

Gay and bisexual men were banned om donatg blood over ncern that HIV uld ntamate the blood supply.

The Food and Dg Admistratn is relaxg a 32-year-old ban on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men. The FDA announced Monday that was replacg a lifetime prohibn wh a new policy that will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, but only if they have not had sexual ntact wh another man for at least one year.

RSIAN LAWMAKER PROPOS BANNG GAYS OM DONATG BLOOD

In 1983, the FDA banned gay and bisexual men om ever beg eligible to donate blood to protect people receivg blood transfns om the possibily of gettg fected wh the human immunoficiency vis, which AIDS. But gay-rights advot and many medil groups have been urgg the FDA to lift the ban for years. They argue the policy is discrimatory bee sgl out gay and bisexual men and that is unnecsary bee blood donors n be screened for HIV.

"It perpetuat the stigma that HIV is a gay disease, " says Kelsey Louie, who heads Gay Men's Health Crisis, an advocy group.