To this day, the FDA and American Red Cross have banned any men who have slept with another man even once since 1977 from donating blood or being listed on the National Bone Marrow registry. The policy is blatantly discriminatory and outdated, even more so when you consider that they don't ask whether someone has had unprotected heterosexual intercourse.
Presumably, the Red Cross isn't peeking into your bedroom, so many men who have had man-to-man encounters are inclined to lie for the sake of doing a good deed. On the other hand, several of us are outraged by the policy being in place and refuse to donate our blood until the ban is lifted. Where do you stand?
– Dewitt
Photo credit: David Norris
I’ve lied many times to give blood. I don’t see what’s wrong with it because they still screen it after you’ve donated.
I didn’t lie. If they don’t want gay blood, I’m not sharing mine. When I first came across this a few years ago (our job was having a blood drive, so of course I wanted to contribute), I couldn’t believe it. Since then, I’ve never even considered donating blood.
I’ve lied a couple of times to give blood, but it always makes my heart rate go up and that has gotten me rejected in the screening before. I’m tired of lying so now I protest it. I have a friend who works for the Red Cross and she says that it’s only the feds stopping them from taking gay blood though 🙁 Maybe our new “Fierce Advocate” will do something about it.
Since I noticed this policy a few years ago I refuse to give blood. Why should I have to lie just to do a good deed?
I have lied, donated blood and received payment.
Thanks you Brian Kinney for instructing us “It’s not a lie if they make you lie.”
What makes this whole policy even more disgusting (if it’s possible) is that people don’t even have the option of accepting the blood given by someone who’s gay. If there’s such a blood shortage and the feds still think that gay blood is so “tainted,” at least give people the option to accept it or not
I donate all the time–my blood is rare and I’m perfectly healthy. I don’t think that patients in need should suffer from some idiot bureaucrat’s prejudice.
One year prior I didn’t even have to worry about answering this question falsely.
And the four times or more I have given blood since I have felt no guilt for lying.
I don’t think we should penalize people who may need blood just because we may not like the policies FDA or Red Cross.
Sure it’s an outdated rule, however I’m pretty sure many of the women who took my blood knew I was gay and didn’t care.
The red cross always brings their donation busses onto my University campus to try and get people to donate. Just for shits and giggles, I usually allow myself to wander in the general direction of the busses with a good ol’ good samaritan look about me. And then when they ask if I’d like to donate, I smile real big and say, “I would love to, but apparently I suck cock.” And I walk away . . .
how stupid, as long as the blood is disease-free then take it, shut up and be grateful for the donation.
i’ve never had opportunity to give blood, but i plan on donating in the future.
what about women who engage in anal sex? are they a big threat as well?
I have refused to give blood until the ban is lifted. I think it is very discriminatory towards gay men.
i lie twice to give blood and once to join the bone marrow registry.
I don’t think this is discriminatory at all. They do still say that HIV can be undetectable for years, right? And they have transfused bad blood before. Better safe than sorry. I can contribute another way, still feel good about myself, and not have to lie.
“I don’t think this is discriminatory at all. They do still say that HIV…”
Wow, I didn’t know people on this site would think of it as GRID.
Please make a correction: the Red Cross is NOT responsible for the blood donation ban for MSM. It is a FDA regulation and the Red Cross must follow federal law when collection blood. In fact the Red Cross attempted to get the FDA to remove the MSM ban for several years now.
See the news article here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10540971
I’ve lied about it since high school and I have no problem with it. I will continue to give them my “tainted” blood until they stop complaining about blood shortages.
Can we please stop calling it the gay blood? Our blood is no different than the heteros.
I tried to give blood when I was 17 at school and was turned down because I am gay. This was 10 years ago and the rule still applies. It def needs to be rethought as everyone is at risk for getting HIV/AIDS.
If the FDA really wanted to limit the blood donations from high-risk groups, than they would not allow African-Americans or Latinos to donate to, then the Red Cross would really have a blood shortage.
It boils down to nothing but discrimination to us and it needs to stop.
i would give blood but the whole hiv concept makes it a bad scene
i was totally shocked when i was filling an online form to donate blood (i’m from uk), and after answering ‘yes’ to whether i had sex with a man, i received a message: ‘thanks, but we don’t need your blood’ or something similar. that was a total shock.
I haven’t and will not lie to give blood, what I don’t accept is the fact that the question is inappropriate, it should be about risky behavior whether straight or gay, I know that I should be removed from any blood donations, having made the BB mistake a couple times in the past, but so should any straight men with 4 or 5 kids from different girls, and the “baby mama’s” who had sex with the same guy!!! The prior risky behavior is ignored allowing a sefment of the population that can when compared to some homosexuals, be a higher risks for having and spreading diseases.
This is news to me. I’ve never donated, as I have a severe dislike of needles. I guess now I have a valid excuse, but it just saddens me that there are rules like this in effect in the 21st century.
I have been donating when I was in the military but since I’ve lost my virginity I’ve stopped. My rule is, I do not want anything that doesn’t want me.
I work on a college campus, and the student groups always ask me to donate blood. I refuse and say it’s because I had sex with a Cambodian monkey.
It’s also a shame, because I’m O Negative…And could do a lot of people a lot of good.
I don’t find it all that offensive. All those questions they ask are designed to make sure that (1) you can donate blood safely, and (2) your blood is safe to give to other people. HIV is only one of the many reasons they might disqualify you, and the ultimate goal is making the blood supply as safe as possible.
I haven’t donated since the FDA implemented that rule, despite being HIV- and always practicing safe sex. But not because I’m protesting; quite the contrary, I’m proud of the gallon donor pins I racked up before the FDA rule. (And no, my local bank doesn’t pay donors.) I don’t give because I respect that rule and the intent behind it.
Until there’s a completely reliable test that detects HIV very early, there’s still a minute risk that I could cause harm to someone else. And I find ignoring that risk to be very uncool—I want to help others, not cause harm.