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

red cross gay ban

For the first time, the Bin admistratn is mentg on the Food and Dg Admistratn’s long-time blood donatn guil impactg gay men.

Contents:

GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE

Learn about feral regulatns related to blood donatn by Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Genr non-nformg (LGBTQ+) dividuals. * red cross gay ban *

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 RED CROSS IS CHANGG S POLICY ON BLOOD DONATNS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Gay and bisexual men are still rtricted om givg blood, a move that LGBTQ activists ll discrimatory. * red cross gay ban *

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.

Rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men, who are nsired to be at high risk for HIV or AIDS transmissn, date back to the and bisexual men unrgo dividual risk asssments stead of time-based bans untri around the world, recently cludg Greece and France, acrdg to ternatnal reports. The event was held to prott feral l that effectively ban gay men om donatg Bispg/Star Tribune via Getty Imag, FILEValant told ABC News a new statement that rearchers are halfway toward s goal of enrollg 2, 000 participants across eight ci: Washgton D.

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

Gay and bisexual men face a time-based ban on givg blood. But fairer practic uld help save over a ln people a year whout the risk of spreadg HIV. * red cross gay ban *

They enurage gay and bisexual men who are 18 to 39 years old to participate the FDA, a statement to ABC News, said that this study uld generate data that will help the agency terme if a donor's dividual risk asssment and qutnnaire would be jt as effective rcg the risk of HIV the blood supply as the time-based ferrals the FDA already has FDA also said do not have a specific timele for when the studi will be pleted but that is "mted to gatherg the scientific data that n support alternative donor ferral polici that mata a high level of blood safety.

In addn to gay and bisexual men, the Red Cross’ policy also affects women who have sex wh an MSM man and donors wh recent tattoos or piercgs. 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.

BIN ADMISTRATN SPEAKS OUT ON FERAL BLOOD DONATN POLICY IMPACTG GAY MEN AMID NATNAL BLOOD SHORTAGE

* red cross gay ban *

“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. 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.

AMERIN RED CROSS FIGHTS BAN ON GAYS' BLOOD

For two s, the Food and Dg Admistratn has prohibed gay and bisexual men om givg blood as a preutn agast AIDS. But three major blood llectn agenci, cludg the Amerin Red Cross, argue the practice is no longer warranted. The FDA disagre. Joel Gsberg, head of the Gay and Lbian Medil Associatn, says the ban unfairly discrimat. * red cross gay 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. For the first time, the Bin admistratn is mentg on the Food and Dg Admistratn's long-time blood donatn guil, which are impactg the LGBTQ+ muny by preventg gay and bisexual men om beg eligible blood statement, ma by a Whe Hoe official exclively to ABC News, acknowledg the paful origs of the policy and on the heels of the Amerin Red Cross clarg their first-ever natnal blood crisis last week, as suppli at hospals and blood banks bee dangeroly low. It also clus gay and bisexual COVID-19 survivors who wish to donate nvalcent plasma, rich wh antibodi, for rtrictn on blood donatns me out of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, when limed ttg technology and pacy existed to screen blood for HIV.

COLUMN: TWO GAY MEN WALK TO A RED CROSS BLOOD DONATN CENTER ...

For s, fears over HIV tatg the blood supply all but banned gay men at Red Cross donatn centers. Now that the l are changg, a Malibu uple joed a blood drive * red cross gay ban *

In 1983, the FDA implemented a lifetime ban on blood donatns om all men who had sex wh men after FDA removed the lifetime ban and enacted a 12-month ferral perd 2015, meang gay or bisexual men had to absta om havg sex wh other men for at least 12 months before donatg blood.

WHY DO FDA BAN ‘GAY’ BLOOD?

Long cricized as discrimatory, the policy has prevented many gay and bisexual men om donatg blood. The Food and Dg Admistratn revealed a draft of s new approach on Friday. * red cross gay ban *

So to give you an example, take a gay male uple that's been together for 20 years, and they have a monogamo relatnship and they have tted negative for HIV. I'm ncerned that they haven't perhaps ma as much effort as they should have to make sure that the policy is science based, bee the subject here is gay men. MARTIN: Given a number of other sort of social and health ncerns that gay men already face, why is this an issue for you to take on, for your anizatn to take on?

IT’S LONG PAST TIME TO END THE FDA’S GAY BLOOD BAN

The FDA said Friday would allow gay and bisexual monogamo men to donate blood. * red cross gay ban *

GINSBERG: When gay men's bodi are stigmatized as dirty, regardls of the behavr that they make, you're sendg the msage that HIV risks and other risks of sexually transmted diseas is not about your behavr. MARTIN: I thk that the qutn that many people would have is - and I unrstand that you're not a doctor - but do you believe that gay men who are engaged safe sex practic nsistently n safely donate blood?

There's absolutely no risk for a gay man who is HIV-negative and only have safe sex wh other people who are HIV-negative or who has any kd of sex wh men who are HIV negative - 's scientifilly impossible for that person to ntract HIV or to spread . Given all the ways that people n opt out whout stigma, is still the se that gay men are sgled out by their - by the cisn to not allow them to donate as a group?

FDA PROPOS ALLOWG GAY AND BISEXUAL MONOGAMO MEN TO DONATE BLOOD

The Amerin Red Cross has partnered wh the FDA and several other blood centers for the ADVANCE Study to gather data that uld lead to chang donor eligibily for gay and bisexual men and the LGBTQ+ muny. * red cross gay ban *

Afterward, they snacked on mi-Oreos and sipped om ty juice all seemed very this was a totally new experience for Jeremy Walker, 55, and his hband, Judd Stark, 59, gay men who me of age at the ighteng dawn of the AIDS era. Five years later, amid the COVID- 19 panmic 2020, the FDA shortened the abstence perd to three jt last month, the agency falized new guil for termg the eligibily of each prospective blood donor — not jt gay men or, say, sex workers — dividually, wh a seri of qutns about their recent sexual history. “I haven’t ed the word ‘anal’ this much sce the ’80’s, ” Stark joked wele change public policy at a time when gay and trans rights are creasgly unr attack, empowered by an ultranservative Supreme Court.

" 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.

ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Learn more about the current feral policy on gay and bisexual men donatg blood. * red cross gay ban *

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.

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

Amid a natnal blood shortage, lawmakers and LGBTQ advot are llg on the FDA to ease donor rtrictns on gay and bisexual men. * red cross gay ban *

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.

GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD: AMERIN RED CROSS WANTS BAN EASED

The Amerin Red Cross is askg the Food and Dg Admistratn to nsir changg s blood donatn policy for gay men. * red cross gay ban *

”“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.

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

LGBTQ+ supporters ramp up prsure on the FDA to revise l on gay men's blood donatns after Red Cross clar natnal blood crisis. * red cross gay ban *

Incredibly, regulatns put place durg the gay panic that characterized the emergence of HIV/AIDS are still spirually place today — and if the natn’s regulatory bodi are ser about endg this blood crisis, the first people they should be lookg to is queer 1986, followg years of polil prsure om all sis of the Amerin polil spectm, the FDA officially began ferrg cisgenr men who had had sex wh another man (MSM) om blood donatn, wh the ban place if they’d had gay sex om 1977 onward. In the meantime, heterosexual people who have equent unprotected sex are still seen as safer blood donors on paper than any given gay or bi man who is a monogamo legacy of gay panic that prompted the ial bans the 1980s, when HIV/AIDS was still assumed to be a disease uniquely plagug the gay male muny, is still very much alive the “progrsive” half measur. It’s an sult that misterprets the real reason HIV/AIDS is still so prevalent the LGBTQ+ muny — ’s not that gay sex is more prone to STI transmissn than straight sex, but that gay men were left to die by unrg stutns for s, and that gay Black and Late men livg poverty today don’t have as much accs to meditns like PrEP as their more affluent whe and straight two dozen lawmakers urged the FDA to update “s discrimatory blood donor ferral polici for men who have sex wh men.

Food and Dg Admistratn announced Friday will ease blood donatn rtrictns on gay and bisexual men, cludg allowg those monogamo relatnships to policy change, which was revealed new draft guidance, after years of urgg by public health experts, blood banks and LGBTQ advocy groups.

FDA EAS BLOOD DONATN BAN ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN AFTER YEARS OF PROTT

In 2020, amid severe blood shortag durg the start of the COVID-19 panmic, the FDA shortened the abstence perd to 90 policy change means gay and bisexual men monogamo relatnships n donate whout abstag om sex as long as they tt HIV negative and are practicg safe also means the U.

By now maybe you’ve heard the excg news: The Amerin Red Cross has partnered wh the FDA and several other blood centers for the ADVANCE Study, an opportuny to gather data that uld lead to chang donor eligibily requirements to be more clive for gay and bisexual men and members of the LGBTQ+ muny. In December 2015, the Food and Dg Admistratn (FDA) moved om a lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donatg blood to a ferral of one year for any man who has had sex wh another man durg the past 12 months.

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

"Last year the Amerin Red Cross announced that was facg a cril shortage of blood, and me unr scty for still nyg gay and bisexual men, and some s -- transgenr women.

The anizatn offered $5 Amazon gift rds to those who donated that Augt an attempt to boost blood suppli -- this offer was obvly not extend to elligible gay Amerin Red Cross has shown a willgns to change the policy, but they are rtricted by the current U.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* RED CROSS GAY BAN

It’s Long Past Time to End the FDA’s Gay Blood Ban | Them .

TOP