WTF? If You’re An LGBT Man, You Have To Jump Through Hoops To Donate Blood (WITH VIDEOS)

People lining up to give blood at an Orlando blood bank (image courtesy Gene Howard, Orlando Sentinel)
People lining up to give blood at an Orlando blood bank (image courtesy Gene Howard, Orlando Sentinel)

In the wake of Saturday night’s horrific massacre in Orlando, most of the attention has been focused on the fact that the gunman was able to mow down his victims with an AR-15 assault rifle–a weapon that really has no business being on the civilian market. But the aftermath of Saturday’s horror has revealed another travesty. The great majority of LGBT men aren’t allowed to donate their blood.

With 49 people dead and 53 people wounded, blood banks and hospitals across Central Florida were stretched to their limits. The Orange County Firefighters Association tweeted just how dire the situation is.

The response was overwhelming, as “CBS This Morning” revealed on Monday’s edition.

By Sunday night, Central Florida’s blood banks were at full capacity, but were still urging residents to donate when they can. However, one segment of the population is legally excluded from that call–noncelibate LGBT men.

In 1983, during the height of panic over AIDS, the Food and Drug Administration banned LGBT men from donating blood if they had ever had sex with another man since 1977, lest someone receive HIV-tainted blood via a transfusion. The ban was relaxed in December 2015. Now, LGBT men can donate blood only if they have been celibate for a full year.

Fusion has more details on this misbegotten policy. Watch here.

To pile obscenity on top of insult and injury, the FDA policy change is so recent that dozens of blood banks haven’t updated their policies and still operate under the old blanket ban. That means that in the aftermath of a shooting at a gay bar, LGBT men in Central Florida aren’t able to help in the most immediate manner they can.

The National Gay Blood Drive, which coordinates an annual nationwide blood drive for straight allies who want to donate on behalf of their gay friends, noted the grotesque irony of this situation.

Never mind that all blood is screened for HIV by default–which has reduced the chances of getting HIV-tainted blood to 1 in 1.5 million. The testing regimen in place since 2002 makes it possible to detect HIV within mere weeks of potential exposure. In other words, the FDA’s current policy has no legitimate scientific basis.

A number of other countries allow LGBT men to donate blood under the same conditions as straight people. Why can’t we? It shouldn’t have taken a tragedy to shine the hot lights on just how far the LGBT community has to go to full equality.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.