Here's how you n donate blood, if you're a gay man

Contents:

• CAN GAY MEN DONATE PLASMA?
• BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• GAY MEN STILL UNABLE TO DONATE BLOOD AND PLASMA SPE NEW FDA GUIL. HERE'S WHY.
• HERE'S HOW YOU N DONATE BLOOD, IF YOU'RE A GAY MAN
• DPE BLOOD SUPPLI CRILLY LOW, SOME GAY MEN STILL CANNOT DONATE PLASMA
• ANDY COHEN SAYS HE ULDN'T DONATE PLASMA BEE HE IS GAY

CAN GAY MEN DONATE PLASMA?

Thanks to efforts by LGBTQ+ advot, the FDA revised s l 2020, allowg gay men to donate blood and plasma. However, gay men still face stricter eligibily requirements when to plasma donatn.

Can Gay Men Donate Plasma? Thanks to new FDA regulatns released 2020, gay men n donate plasma. Gay men mt absta om sex wh another man for three months prr to donatg plasma.

Even if a gay man is a long-term, monogamo relatnship wh another man, he still mt absta om sex wh that man for three months prr to donatn.

BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Navigatg the new regulatns on plasma donatn for gay men n be plited. Addnal Consiratns for Gay Men Donatg Plasma.

Even though gay men are allowed to donate plasma, there are addnal nsiratns. Gay men mt absta om sex wh other men for three months before donatn. For gay men who have sex wh men, that means they'll need to absta nsistently to donate monthly.

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

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. That’s why AABB has led efforts to make blood donatn clive of non-bary donors and champned the adoptn of equable, science-based dividual donor asssment (IDA) procs to terme blood donor eligibily that wele LGBTQ+ blood donors, strengthen the blood supply and save Approv Historic Expansn of Donor EligibilyOn May 11, 2023, the Food and Dg Admistratn issued a fal guidance elimatg time-based blood donor ferral perds for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men (MSM) and women who have sex wh MSM.

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.

GAY MEN STILL UNABLE TO DONATE BLOOD AND PLASMA SPE NEW FDA GUIL. HERE'S WHY.

”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.

HERE'S HOW YOU N DONATE BLOOD, IF YOU'RE A GAY MAN

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.

DPE BLOOD SUPPLI CRILLY LOW, SOME GAY MEN STILL CANNOT DONATE PLASMA

Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty. After the Food and Dg Admistratn changed the l for blood donatns om gay and bisexual men earlier this month, ronavis survivor L Estok saw an opportuny to help other patients rever om the years, the FDA has rtricted men who have had sex wh men the precedg year om donatg blood, but loosened s l on April 2 as a way to addrs a sharp drop donors durg the ronavis days, Estok tried to donate blood plasma for a tt program New York Cy that treats severely ill COVID-19 patients wh plasma om patients who have veloped antibodi and revered om the disease. He said he was turned away after revealg he was gay.

"NBC News found that spe the le change hundreds of the natn’s blood centers are still unable to accept blood om gay men, even though there's a sperate need for blood at U. Both the Red Cross and Ameri's Blood Centers, which together reprent 800 banks natnwi, told NBC News they haven't been able to accept and other gay men who have tried to give blood sce April 2 have been unable to do so bee many blood donatn centers have not yet traed staffers or updated their puter systems to acmodate the new le. "I was not expectg the reactn I got, " said Estok on when he told the staff he was gay.

"An NYBC staffer nied that a potential donor would be asked if he were gay, sayg the donor would stead be asked about sexual activy wh another man durg the past 12 months.

ANDY COHEN SAYS HE ULDN'T DONATE PLASMA BEE HE IS GAY

"Not only is imperative that gay and bisexual men who are now able to donate blood be allowed to do so whout lay, the FDA mt also lift the 3 month ferral s entirety, " said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of GLAAD, a LGBTQ advocy anizatn.