#BanTheGayBloodBan

The Issue

The FDA currently bans men who have had sex with men in the past 12 months from donating blood. According to the The Daily Beast, "Since the coronavirus crisis began, 2,700 blood drives have been cancelled, and there have been 86,000 fewer blood donations as of March 16, the American Red Cross reports."

We call on the FDA to #BanTheGayBloodBan immediately!

On Thursday, March 19, 2020, the Washington Blade asked an FDA spokesperson to comment, “At this time, FDA’s recommendations regarding blood donor deferral for men who have sex with men have not changed, but we will continue to reevaluate the situation as the outbreak progresses.”

Why is this ban in place? A full ban started during the Reagan administration in 1983 as a byproduct of the HIV/AIDS crisis, until it was changed in 2015 to the 12 month abstinence ruling. In 2020, when our blood supply is about to be stressed beyond capacity, so currently it's homophobia hiding behind manipulative public health scare tactics. To suggest that only gay men who have not had sex for as year are “clean” enough to give blood is homophobic. According to a recent study*, there has been no significant increase in HIV infections from blood transfusions in the U.S. since the FDA’s 2015 rule change.

From the American Red Cross: All blood donors are required to meet FDA eligibility criteria to donate blood, every time. These eligibility criteria apply to all U.S. blood collection organizations. Only an estimated 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood at any given time. However, less than 10% of that eligible population actually donates each year. We can increase those percentages by lifting the ban.

We call on the FDA to #BanTheGayBloodBan immediately!

Note, in the context of the donor history questionnaire, FDA recommends that male or female gender be taken to be self-identified and self-reported There is no deferral associated with being transgender, and eligibility will be based upon the criteria associated with the gender the donor has reported. Also, individuals do not need to tell staff that they are intersex - meaning, Don't Ask, Don't Tell is still codified. The FDA requires the Red Cross to have donors select either male or female which impacts those who identify as gender non-conforming/genderqueer/gender fluid/agender or non-binary.

For more info see: