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.
Contents:
- THE RED CROSS IS CHANGG S POLICY ON BLOOD DONATNS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
- GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
- LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
- ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
- WHY DO FDA BAN ‘GAY’ BLOOD?
- AMERIN RED CROSS FIGHTS BAN ON GAYS' BLOOD
THE RED CROSS IS CHANGG S POLICY ON BLOOD DONATNS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
Learn about feral regulatns related to blood donatn by Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Genr non-nformg (LGBTQ+) dividuals. * american red cross gay blood *
(WRIC) — The Amerin Red Cross announced Tuday that is changg s rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men. The Associated Prs reported the FDA put a lifetime donatn ban on gay and bisexual men 1983 durg the AIDS epimic. 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.
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. A person is tted durg the first gay men's blood drive, held at the Memorial Blood Center St. 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.
GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
Gay and bisexual men are still rtricted om givg blood, a move that LGBTQ activists ll discrimatory. * american red cross gay blood *
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.
LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
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. * american red cross gay blood *
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.
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.
ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
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. * american red cross gay blood *
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. 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.
WHY DO FDA BAN ‘GAY’ 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. * american red cross gay blood *
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. Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty.
AMERIN RED CROSS FIGHTS BAN ON GAYS' BLOOD
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. 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. 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.