The FDA nsirs easg rtrictns on blood donatns by gay and bisexual men : NPR

Contents:

• DISCRIMATN AGAST GAY MEN WHO N'T MAKE DONATNS IS ARBRARY, ARCHAIC — AND ADLY
• GAY MEN CAN NOW DONATE LIFE-SAVG BONE MARROW. WILL BLOOD FOLLOW?
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• WHAT ARE THE BLOOD DONATN L GLOBALLY FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN?
• THE FDA NSIRS EASG RTRICTNS ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• FDA LOOSENS RTRICTNS ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, ENURAG BLOOD DONATNS AMID RONAVIS CRISIS
• FDA'S REVISED BLOOD DONATN GUIDANCE FOR GAY MEN STILL COURTS CONTROVERSY
• GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS

DISCRIMATN AGAST GAY MEN WHO N'T MAKE DONATNS IS ARBRARY, ARCHAIC — AND ADLY

When she asked if Reert was a sexually active homosexual male, Snyr rpond “y” whout a send thought.

Then he went numb when he heard her say, “Well, unfortunately, that means …”Monogamo married gay men like Sean are at a lower risk for HIV than a sgle straight man wh a different partner every day. “But bee he was a gay man livg Ameri 2020 he was not allowed one of his fal wish. The woman on the phone wh Snyr was specifilly checkg about tissue donatn, which a sexually active gay man n’t give.

GAY MEN CAN NOW DONATE LIFE-SAVG BONE MARROW. WILL BLOOD FOLLOW?

And the 112, 000 Amerins need of an donatns and the hundreds of thoands more need of tissue donatns n’t afford any unnecsary ’s no nyg that men who have sex wh men, cludg gay men, bisexual men and others, are at greater risk for HIV; 57 percent of people livg wh HIV got om male-to-male sexual ntact. Monogamo married gay men like Sean are at a lower risk for HIV than a sgle straight man wh a different partner every day — yet another example of how the polici are FDA and HHS fally showed some movement on this issue by amendg the guil on blood and an donatns recent years.

But for many men, this abstence requirement still amounts to a lifetime any rctn the ludicro rtrictns is a step the right directn, the three months of abstence is nonsensil bee don’t actually crease the safety of recipients, even as ntu to discrimate agast gay and bisexual FDA admted April that the replacg of the lifetime ban wh a 12-month celibacy requirement 2015 ed “no crease risk to the blood supply.

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

Of Iowa died by suici after homophobic bullyg 2013, his fal wish had been to donate his ans and tissue. “I uldn’t unrstand why my 16-year-old son’s ey uldn’t be donated jt bee he was gay, ” Betts’ mother said at the time.

WHAT ARE THE BLOOD DONATN L GLOBALLY FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN?

Gay, lbian, or bisexual.

As of now, the FDA, which overse blood and tissue donatn, has regulatns place which n lim what n be donated by gay men.

The limatns are NOT the same for an donatn--gay men the U.

THE FDA NSIRS EASG RTRICTNS ON BLOOD DONATNS BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Can gay men be an donors?

BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

But that did get me wonrg about what else this turn of events might impact, which leads me to my qutn, n gay men be an donors? I mean, I assume that if my blood n’t be accepted by the blood bank then my ans probably n’t be accepted eher sce they would obvly have my gay blood nng through them.

FDA LOOSENS RTRICTNS ON GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, ENURAG BLOOD DONATNS AMID RONAVIS CRISIS

5 ln people currently enrolled the Natnal Bone Marrow Registry, there’s only a 1 430 chance volunteers will ever be lled upon to donate for Pagels, the challenge is also of her iends are gay or bisexual and historilly unable to donate to blood centers unr Feral Dg Admistratn policy. Acctomed to beg turned away om blood centers due to the fear they might transm HIV, Pagels’ gay and bisexual male iends were worried they wouldn’t be able to help her l of people wa at the OneBlood Donatn Center to donate blood for the jured victims of the Pulse nightclub shootg on June 12, 2016 Orlando, Florida. Gay and bisexual men ntued to be turned away for bone marrow donatn until last year, as Medium wrer John Colucci found out when he attempted to sign up for the registry Febary 2015.

”RELATED: FDA Rensirs Gay Blood BanJason Cianctto, the Vice Print of Policy, Advocy and Communitns at Harlem Uned, believ if allowg MSMs to donate tissue has had no negative impact on the bone marrow registry, the FDA should do the same for blood donatn. “[The 12-month ferral perd] is a scientifilly unsound policy that particularly stigmatiz gay and bisexual male muni, as well as transgenr women, ” he told NBC Out. “It rri forward the false notn that HIV is a gay disease.

FDA'S REVISED BLOOD DONATN GUIDANCE FOR GAY MEN STILL COURTS CONTROVERSY

Gay and bisexual men who are HIV-negative and who practice safe sex, are married and monogamo relatnships, or on PrEP—and if they’re takg regularly, have ltle to no risk of ntractg HIV—are effectively banned for life. The ernment body has currently said ’s reviewg s impact of allowg gay and bisexual men to donate blood is impossible to unrtimate.

Origally, gay and bisexual men were pletely prohibed om donatg 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. So monogamo gay men uld start donatg blood aga sometime 2023.

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.

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

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. 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.