In the midst of a natnal blood shortage, gay men are still exclud om helpg | WHQR

Contents:

• GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
• THE RED CROSS IS CHANGG S POLICY ON BLOOD DONATNS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• RED CROSS AFFIRMS NO GAY BLOOD POLICY
• FDA'S REVISED BLOOD DONATN GUIDANCE FOR GAY MEN STILL COURTS CONTROVERSY
• WORKG TOGETHER FOR CHANG TO BLOOD DONOR ELIGIBILY FOR GAY AND BI MEN
• RED CROSS WOULD WELE CHANGE ALLOWG GAY MEN TO DONATE BLOOD
• GAY ANGER AS RED CROSS REJECTS BLOOD
• IN THE MIDST OF A NATNAL BLOOD SHORTAGE, GAY MEN ARE STILL EXCLUD OM HELPG
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL

GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE

Dpe this urgent need for donatns, people who have sex wh gay or bisexual men are still facg rtrictns on their abily to give Food and Dg Admistratn bars people who have had sex wh gay or bisexual men om donatg blood for three months followg the most recent sexual ntact bee of fears of HIV the blood agency changed the ferral perd om 12 months to three months November 2020 as blood donatns fell and hospals faced cril shortag durg the first year of the COVID-19 advot, cludg the Human Rights Campaign, say the FDA is movg too slowly on removg the rtrictn, sayg that 's an outright ban on the abily of people, particularly gay and bisexual men, to donate blood.

Rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men, who are nsired to be at high risk for HIV or AIDS transmissn, date back to the and bisexual men unrgo dividual risk asssments stead of time-based bans untri around the world, recently cludg Greece and France, acrdg to ternatnal reports. A person is tted durg the first gay men's blood drive, held at the Memorial Blood Center St.

THE RED CROSS IS CHANGG S POLICY ON BLOOD DONATNS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

The event was held to prott feral l that effectively ban gay men om donatg Bispg/Star Tribune via Getty Imag, FILEValant told ABC News a new statement that rearchers are halfway toward s goal of enrollg 2, 000 participants across eight ci: Washgton D. They enurage gay and bisexual men who are 18 to 39 years old to participate the FDA, a statement to ABC News, said that this study uld generate data that will help the agency terme if a donor's dividual risk asssment and qutnnaire would be jt as effective rcg the risk of HIV the blood supply as the time-based ferrals the FDA already has FDA also said do not have a specific timele for when the studi will be pleted but that is "mted to gatherg the scientific data that n support alternative donor ferral polici that mata a high level of blood safety. (WRIC) — The Amerin Red Cross announced Tuday that is changg s rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men.

The Associated Prs reported the FDA put a lifetime donatn ban on gay and bisexual men 1983 durg the AIDS epimic. In addn to gay and bisexual men, the Red Cross’ policy also affects women who have sex wh an MSM man and donors wh recent tattoos or piercgs.

LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS

But there is one easily implementable solutn to the natnal blood-supply shortage that’s been available for years and uld be a lifele: allowg gay and bisexual men to donate eely.

S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or “men who have sex wh men”) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex wh another man the past three months. “It is my opn that we ntue to have a real problem wh laws and regulatns based on fear rather than science, ” she ntuatn of a MSM-specific barrier to givg is not only limg the blood supply, ’s unnecsary and “rooted homophobia, ” explas Perry N. ”In 2015, theFDA loosened s rtrictn, permtg gay and bisexual men to donate blood as long as they hadn’t had sex wh another man the past year.

ADVANCE STUDY ON DONATN ELIGIBILY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV. Same go for gay men who are married or a long-term monogamo relatnship. Conducted tanm wh the natn’s largt blood centers—the Amerin Red Cross, Valant, and OneBlood—the rearch effort will survey 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across the untry between the ag of 18 and 30 who have had sex wh at least one man the past three months.

”The policy change uld have a signifint posive effect on the mental health of gay and bisexual men, too. It also puts gay and bisexual men at higher risk for acquirg HIV over time.

RED CROSS AFFIRMS NO GAY BLOOD POLICY

“Social and stctural factors that e gay men to feel othered e them to engage risky sexual behavr, ” Halkis says.

So a ban like this isn’t jt harmful to the Amerin public; “’s credibly harmful to the gay muny, both emotnally and physilly. The first step is to sign GLAAD’s petn at You then n—and should—te those around you, “sce many people, cludg gay and bi men, don’t know that this ban exists, ” adds Lasky.

FDA'S REVISED BLOOD DONATN GUIDANCE FOR GAY MEN STILL COURTS CONTROVERSY

Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty.

WORKG TOGETHER FOR CHANG TO BLOOD DONOR ELIGIBILY FOR GAY AND BI MEN

By now maybe you’ve heard the excg news: The Amerin Red Cross has partnered wh the FDA and several other blood centers for the ADVANCE Study, an opportuny to gather data that uld lead to chang donor eligibily requirements to be more clive for gay and bisexual men and members of the LGBTQ+ muny. The Thai Red Cross Society says do not discrimate agast gay people, but the policy not to accept them as blood donors is ternatnally applied.

Acrdg to the statistic ma by the Natnal Blood Centre, 2% of total blood donatns were found fected wh HIV or Hepatis and almost 100% of the fected blood was donated by gay men, she said. The FDA has announced a relaxg of s rtrictns on gay men beg allowed to donate blood, light of the ronavis disease 2019 panmic. Instead of 1 year, if a male has had sex wh another male, he need only wa 3 months to donate FDA has announced a relaxg of s rtrictns on gay men beg allowed to donate blood, light of the ronavis disease 2019 (COVID-19) panmic.

RED CROSS WOULD WELE CHANGE ALLOWG GAY MEN TO DONATE BLOOD

How do they know if a gay man is gay?

GAY ANGER AS RED CROSS REJECTS BLOOD

Harcup, 43, a gay man who liv Florida. And ’s also outrageo to assume that gay men engage more risky sexual behavr than straight men.

IN THE MIDST OF A NATNAL BLOOD SHORTAGE, GAY MEN ARE STILL EXCLUD OM HELPG

The revised policy match that the Uned Kgdom, which 2017 implemented a 3-month ferral policy for gay or bisexual men who want to donate blood technician, now a fns entreprenr and owner of, Alistaire Nzek, 34, of Hightstown, New Jersey, poted out, “The whole reason is bee they thk men who sleep wh men are at a higher risk of gettg HIV, " he said. Jt bee I’m a gay man sleepg wh another men do not make my blood any ls clean. You’re jt as likely to get HIV whether you’re straight or gay.

He also wants to be a blood donor, but as a gay man, he is currently not eligible.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL

The ADVANCE Study (Asssg Donor Variabily and New Concepts Eligibily) is a pilot study sponsored by the FDA, which will terme if different eligibily creria for gay and bisexual men n be ed at blood centers natnwi. The study has a goal to enroll a mimum total of 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across eight study lotns and is currently schled to nclu September 2022. Help ntribute data for the FDA that uld lead to chang donor eligibily for gay and bisexual men.

The Amerin Red Cross said would wele new feral guil that would allow more gay men to be able to donate blood.

”On Wednday, the Wall Street Journal was the first to report that the Food and Dg Admistratn is preparg to change s guidance on when gay men n donate blood.