Active Discrimination on the Part of the FDA

Today's topic has me livid.

This morning I went to a local Red Cross blood drive with the intent of making a donation. For personal medical reasons it has been several years since I have given blood and in the past I must have glossed over or not registered the blatant discrimination included therein.

The particular section in question was reasons you cannot/should not give blood, particularly in regards to HIV and AIDS. One of the bullet points was "If you are a man who has had sexual contact, even once, with another man since 1977".

I had to read the line and the header several times, not sure if I was seeing what I was actually seeing. Finally, I got up from my chair, took the packet to the lady at the reception table, and told her that I would be walking out and not donating today under protest for their discriminatory practices. I explained my reason to the ladies at the desk as well as a technician who came out to talk to me about it. My reasons are thus:

That verbiage effectively disqualifies every gay man, whether or not they have HIV or are having unsafe sex. It also appears to me to promote a link between HIV and being gay which has been proven false many times over. Yes, HIV began its spread in the gay community, but it can also be transmitted through needles and between heterosexual couples. The so called "gay disease" is a myth that no one in their right mind has believed since the 90s and there is a large percentage of the gay community who practice safe sex and/or have a limited number of partners. I cannot support policies that deny 8% of the male population the right to give blood.

I took contact info for the Red Cross with me and was told that their policies are only following FDA guidelines.

When I got home I called the Red Cross. The man on the line reiterated that they are only following FDA guidelines but that they are trying to get those guidelines changed from a blanket exclusion to a waiting period. I.E. after a certain period of time without male to male sexual contact a person could start giving blood again. But I had to point out to him that this was still discriminatory because it would require a gay couple in a long term, monogamous relationship to abstain from sex (presumably for months if not years) just for the privilege of giving blood. I made sure he logged my formal complaint and then got the contact info for the FDA to pursue the matter further.

I am making the personal choice to protest and not give blood again until this statute is changed. I consider this a great personal sacrifice as well as a weighty choice because giving blood can be a life saving matter, but if we do not stand up for change this discrimination will only continue. It is 2012 and we live in a nation where we know that homosexuality is not contagious. It is time we stop allowing our government to continue policies that say otherwise.

If you would like to make your own stand make some calls and get the word out:
American Red Cross:
866-236-3276

FDA:
Email them through "Contact Us" page on www.fda.gov
888-463-6332