It’s 2016. And gay men still can’t donate blood

The Daily Telegraph (Australia) ^ | 6/24/16 | Seb Starcevic

[originalbuckeye]

And anyone who lived in or visited Britain in the 80’s-90’s isn’t allowed to give either. Mad Cow disease, you know.

[Delta 21]

Mad cow would have killed me over 10 years ago IF I had it, but I will never be able to donate because I ‘might” have it.

SCREW “EM. Its all about $$$$$$

[Enchante]

This pressure to have gays give blood is outrageous, disgusting, disgraceful..... no one of sound mind would want to receive such blood in transfusions, the risks are obviously higher. Therefore, no one should be forced to risk receiving such blood when they might be in a car accident, have surgeries, have any of a range of blood and medical conditions, etc.

As a cancer survivor who had to receive many units of blood transfusions, and knowing many others who have been in similar predicaments, it is quite personal to me to loathe people who want to increase the risks in the blood supply, just to serve some socio-political cause.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

it makes Gay people feel better?

How much better can you feel than "gay"?

[Rastus]

Right now, there are less than 30,000 cases of HIV in Australia. Sounds low? That’s because it is — among the lowest rate in the world, in fact.

Sounds low? Sounds like the ban's working.

[Personal Responsibility]

“These restrictions sprung up during the AIDS panic in an era of widespread homophobia, where pastors and pundits publicly proclaimed that HIV was a divine plague “

The fact that AIDS was a death sentence and ran rampant through the gay community had nothing to do with it though, right? Sheesh...does he remember the AIDS epidemic in the 80s? I do.

[originalbuckeye]

Me, too. And before I married and moved to Britain, I had donated around two gallons.

[AFreeBird]

Hello!! AIDS/HIV!!

[Faith Presses On]

And there's more. Just found these stories from today: And there's more. Just found these stories from today:

"Lawmakers urge FDA to lift blood ban for gay men," CNN

Two Democratic lawmakers joined the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and others Tuesday in urging the Food and Drug Administration to change its blood donation policy..."

The Human Rights Campaign said the change was a "step in the right direction" but added that the new policy "still falls short of a fully acceptable solution because it continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men..."

The FDA told CNN that it carefully considered alternative criteria, including individual risk assessment for HIV, instead of the current 12-month deferral for MSMs. "However, evidence shows that self-reporting presents significant issues," the FDA said. Specifically, the truth and reliability of self-reports of monogamy -- in any type of sexual relationship -- present a problem..."

On Tuesday, Polis and Grayson joined the National Gay Blood Drive and over 130 members of Congress in petitioning the FDA to change its policy and screen donors "based on behavior, not sexual orientation..."

"Grayson proposes bill to end gay blood donor ban," Orlando Sentinel

"Grayson’s bill would create a grant program, run by the federal government, that would give money to blood banks in order to do “a more thorough testing” for antigens and RNA than what is currently done, similar to what is being used on the commercial market..."

"Lawmakers to ask FDA to lift restrictions on blood donations by gay, bisexual men," Baltimore Sun

More than 130 members of Congress, including several from Maryland, joined with progressive and gay rights advocacy groups to call on federal regulators Tuesday to lift a requirement that gay and bisexual men remain celibate for a year before donating blood.

They signed letters urging the Food and Drug Administration to change the rule, arguing that the ban is discriminatory and unnecessary because blood donations are tested thoroughly.

"Politicians, Gay Rights Groups Calls on FDA to Lift Blood Donor Ban," ABC News 


On the FDA's reasons for not completely lifting the ban:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3440651/posts

[Crucial]

I didn’t know giving blood was a fundamental right desired among freedom lovers everywhere.

[Trillian]

If a person is fighting to donate blood when they engage in homosexual behavior.. they are evil. Only someone evil would want to infect an innocent with a death sentence.

[gaijin]

Almost 1/3 of gay men have had over **ONE THOUSAND** different sex partners and USUALLY they have NO relationship with them before they have sex with them.

[Delta 21]

Both me and the wife were over 2 1/2 gallons and I honestly felt better with regular bleedings. I tryed for advocacy for over 10 years but I am totally done with them now.

I have prayed that one of my loved ones doesnt need blood in a hurry.

TOTALLY FUBAR INDUSTRY!

[Blood of Tyrants]

Or the blood goes to those government officials and their families.

[Faith Presses On]

He might very well not have lived through the ‘80s. On the other hand, there also seem to be many older activists who would remember it and are putting out propaganda about it.

[Trod Upon]

Apparently they think getting an anal injection of HIV or hepatitis is less dangerous than getting it intravenously.

[heartwood]

Australia has roughly 25M people. If 2% are MSM (men having sex with men) that is 500K men. MSM account for 2/3 of HIV infections in the US. Assuming the same in Australia, that is 20,000 of the infected people, or an incidence of 1 in 25 MSM infected with HIV.

Not a number I’d like to play roulette with.

And a MSM could be the most devoted, monogamous MSM that ever walked the earth, and still have his partner cheat on him.

[Faith Presses On]

And this, too:

"This means gay males are deemed what’s called an “at-risk minority”, especially in danger of acquiring HIV, and are automatically excluded from donating blood — again, unless they’re willing to declare they’ve been celibate for a full year."

"Never mind that this waiting period is unenforceable — because, really, if there was a way to tell if someone’s done the deed in the past 12 months, we’d know by now."

Notice the theme of potentially not being truthful and going to donate blood anyway. In another story I posted here recently on this, a worker at an "LGBT center" near Orlando simply advised sexually-active gay men to go give blood and say they'd been celibate.

[soycd]

praise is diverse ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWE_M0CX9So&list=RDMeh5BXBdx_A&index=27

[T-Bird45]

These rump-humpers are the cause of the death of multiple men with hemophilia who had to get transfusions of clotting factors in the 80s and 90s. I neither forgive nor forget and I’m damn sure not scared/phobic about these poofters. They caused the death of a good friend from childhood because he got AIDS from this crowd of feces fornicators. He was totally innocent and had to bear the cost of their sin. The entire crowd of peter-puffers can just hope I never have a personal opportunity to “open a vein” for them.