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CAN GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD IN THE US UPDATE
Update June 13th 1:15PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect new comments from OneBlood, refuting the interpretation of earlier reports, and comments it made on Facebook. Line gathering at blood donation centers in Orlando. The blood donation ban for men who have sex with men (MSM) was a restriction that prevented any man who had sex with another man, regardless of sexual orientation, from donating blood. LGBT is still a popular term used to discuss gender and sexual minorities, but all GSRM are welcome beyond lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people who consent to participate in a safe space. As The Washington Post reported, the blood bank's guidelines haven't even caught up to the FDA's most recent standard, meaning it's still turning away all gay men from donating. A safe space for GSRM (Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minority) folk to discuss their lives, issues, interests, and passions. However, the FDA's policy is guidance that local and private bodies aren't required to follow. The 12-month limit on donations from gay men is an international standard, but it will still prevent lots of men from donating blood. Still, the new guidance is discriminatory - and immensely hurtful to survivors who are unable to help their own community after being attacked. More than 60 politicians and LGBT advocates are fighting to revise a very dated federal regulation that disqualifies gay men from donating organs and blood simply because of their orientation. "We have taken great care to ensure this policy revision is backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply," the FDA's acting commissioner said at the time. Gay Men Can Donate Organs and Blood Only If Abstinent. The FDA only lifted the total recommended ban on donations from gay men last December, after the policy has been in place since 1983, when the AIDS epidemic was becoming a national panic. There are false reports circulating that FDA rules were being lifted. However, the blood bank later said those reports were false, and that "all FDA guidelines remain in effect."īlood is in CRISIS and will be accepting all donors (including gay men) #PrayForOrlando /36X1gE2ymyĪll FDA guidelines remain in effect for blood donation. That's a big deal, since the official recommendation of the federal Food and Drug Administration is to turn away gay men from blood donations if they've had sex in the past year. One of the main reasons is that sexually active homosexual men are at high risk for. Prior to that time, active homosexuals were barred indefinitely from donating blood. The 12-month deferral rule has been the policy since December 2015. Following an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando that killed 50 people and wounded scores of others last night, Mic and others reported that blood bank OneBlood would be "accepting all donors" - crucially, including gay men. Under the new rules, an active homosexual, sex worker, or IV drug user must defer for three months. It's more difficult to donate blood as a gay man in Florida than to buy an assault rifle with no questions asked.