Gay men are not allowed to donate blood
Did you know about that? I didn’t! I saw a tv show a couple of days ago showing two guys, with hidden cameras, going to the blood bank to give blood. They filled out the form and highly said things like “Can my boyfriend sit here and wait?” and such. When they were done with the forms a nurse took one of them in to a room and closed the door, there she said to the guy that gay guys aren’t allowed to donate blood because of their “lifestyle” but they are “welcome to take a sandwich and something to drink” before they leave.
I was like “What?!” When they got back to the studio the doctor said it was true. However, the nurse should have explained better WHY he couldn’t donate blood. The reason was because there are so many diseases going around the gay culture. But don’t they check every person’s blood before it’s used? I mean you don’t have to be gay to to get those kind of diseases.
So I don’t get it. If anyone can give me a better explanation, please share!
Edit: Ugly comments will be deleted. If you can’t accept that people are different, get over it!
I think that there is more to this than meets the eye. The actions of the two guys must have been very provocative. Yes, to the best of my knowledge, just now confirmed by a doctor friend of mine, there are tests before the blood is banked and he too claims that there is no official ban on gays donating blood.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 7:19 am
It strikes me as being an outdated rule that for some reason, no one’s bothered to change despite the fact that we know better now.
I’m assuming that the rule was made when diseases like AIDS were on the rise, and at that time, there was an ignorant sentiment going around that AIDS was a “gay disease” because the gay community ended up being so badly hit. That being the sentiment of the time, it’s understandable why the rule was originally put into place…
What’s puzzling is why the rule has never been revoked… Laziness? Political reasons?
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 11:37 am
My guess is, what if they were exposed to HIV during their last encounter with a gay man, but it’s not been enough time to develop antibodies.
So the donated blood would pass on the virus because antibodies to the virus would not be detected.
Sure, this could happen in the heterosexual community too, but it is a lot less common and so therefore the risk is much much smaller.
I do not work at a blood bank, nor am I a physician, but I’m just guessing that based on my knowledge of the immune system, this is the reason. :)
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 11:37 am
Every time I’ve given blood they ask me if I’m a gay guy who’s had sex with another guy since….
hmmmmm…..I’m a girl.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 11:52 am
My husband used to sell a drug that was made specifically for patients that had Aids. He dealt mostly with men,testing them to determine whether or not they would qualify for the drug. He said, plain and simple, that gay men are a high risk factor due to the fact that probably have had multiple partners. He did say, that it is not a law and if the blood banks were low, I’m sure they would consider making exceptions.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I agree that she should have explained herself, but I think the real reason is because people have this thought in their heads that people are born gay. And maybe they think using a gay man’s blood will turn the person recieving it gay and god forbid that ever happens. The world needs to get a clue. It’s ridiculous how they’re treated. If only we could wave a magic wand and make everyone tolerant eh?
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Well actually you’re living a fantasy life if you don’t think the gay lifestyle isn’t at a higher risk for Aids than heterosexuals… You’re just plain wrong… check out the CDC and WHO for the #’s… Aids is highest among needle users, gays and whores… it just is… deal with it…
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 2:30 pm
This is an outdated rule from the early 1980’s when it was considered HIV/AIDS was considered the ‘Gay disease’.
Today, the population at most risk is black women.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 2:38 pm
cjb,
In the United States (where the blood drive took place),about half newly reported cases of AIDS(2005) were transmitted via male homosexual activity*.
Only 500 cases were not a result of homosexual or otherwise high-risk sexual activity or drug use*.
AIDS, statistically, IS a gay disease. Also a whore/drug disease.
*http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 3:12 pm
AIDS is actually more prevelant in heterosexual black women, not homosexual males. I think this is because we are told if we are gay we will get AIDS, so homosexuals are more careful about it. Straight men are also the highest for drug use from what I have read.
I think the problem with this study is most people donating blood aren’t going to be so blunt about their lifestyle in front of the nurse, who may or may not bring her own beliefs into her work. All blood is checked for anything harmful, regardless of gender or orientation. I think the biggest problem would be if on the forms they asked. Since that is not the case, if you want to donate blood, just donate, don’t let them into your personal life.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Mxermadman,
although the study you showed has valid information for that time, it has been two years since they did a study. currently in the US, black women are the highest population of people with AIDS. you can’t look at just one study when talking about this kind of thing since there are so many that aren’t accounted for. I am very glad you gave a site to prove what you were talking about though.
http://www.blackwomenshealth.com/HIV_AIDS.htm
this site has some information in the second paragraph about women with AIDS and the amount of black women that have it as well
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Thanks for digging up a source on the black women thing. I hadn’t had time yet, but I just found this:
“According to the 2000 census, blacks make up approximately 13% of the US population. However, in 2005, blacks accounted for 18,121 (49%) of the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting [2].*”
From the CDC site. If you do a google earch for “Black women and HIV” you will find tons of information backing up my point.
I just participated in AidsLifecycle here in California. I know my stuff. It’s not just a “gay disease” any more.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Wow! I had no idea that this was still going on.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Im glad they do that. I’d rather they be discriminated against a little than potentially put someones health at risk
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 7:13 pm
There are a number of diseases that blood banks attempt to keep out of donated blood. Among them
- HIV
- hepatitis B and C
- CJD
- “mad cow”
These are all diseases that are uncurable in the most literal sense (once you get them, there is no DRUG that can be given to rid you of them). Therefore people are screened out based on statistical criteria. These are the criteria of the San Diego blood bank.
http://www.sandiegobloodbank.org/donating_blood/donor_requirements.php
All of those criteria are designed to remove people who are of the highest risk for transmitting blood borne diseases.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Ok guys,after reading all this I have to mention something.
From everything I’ve read and seen,being a black man and being gay is considered unacceptable in that community.
Therefore many,not all,gay black men go to extremes to hide their sexuality.
I have personally witnessed this in jails and prisons.Incarcerated black men have something they call “Being on the downlow.” That is where they claim not to be gay,but then at night are having sex in the prison bathroom,with a prison bitch.
I asked a black man named Freddie G. about doing this at night,his reply was “I’m not gay,I’m just gittin’ mine.” I swear that’s what he said.
Anyway,to sum this up.Statistically prisons have up to 15x the prevalence of HIV/AID infection rates,compared to the general population.And also statistically,the majority of prison inmates are young black males.
I believe a connection can be made between these young black men on “The Downlow” and the fact that black females are now the largest demographic category for new infection.
When you trace back the reasons for black women being the largest demo,it goes back to gay black men,and their lack of safe sex practices.Not to mention the lack of honesty with their female partners,and themselves.If your on “The Downlow” you’re not “gittin’ yours”,you’re gay…accept it.
I’d love to hear others thoughts on these conclusions.
P.S. Even if the blood bank rules may be outdated,which I believe the are not.
I’m glad they’re protecting the supply.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 8:23 pm
If some blood can save another person’s life, it doesn’t matter who it is from. “The life of the flesh is in the blood,” and we must care for each other by giving life through our blood. If the blood is healthy, use it.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 8:36 pm
I forgot to ads these sites for verification of the statistics.I was a little off,but it depends on what report you read,and from which state.The infection ratio is anywhere from 3-15x the general population,and significantly higher for black males than any other group,but black females.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/hivp03.pdf
This one is a power point presentation.
http://www.iss.co.za/SEMINARS/4_18Feb03.ppt
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=kb-07-04-13
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 8:39 pm
that great matt… you’ve just been save by donated blood! opps you got aids…
you fail
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 9:51 pm
They don’t let you donate if you have just had a tattoo, or have traveled abroad for a period of time. Are they being discriminatory there too? No they are being CAUTIOUS and CAREFUL. Because in today’s society we are very cautious about everything. If even one person caught something nasty from tainted blood how bad could that be from a P.R. standpoint as well as for the poor soul who got the disease? We put stupid WARNING labels on hot coffee, you don’t think they would go the extra mile with BLOOD that gets transfused? Grow up people and stop being so PC you lose all critical thinking skills. It’s not homophobic, it’s being as careful as possible.
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Shannon,
You say, “although the study you showed has valid information for that time, it has been two years since they did a study”… and then you say, “currently in the US, black women are the highest population of people with AIDS”.
So, you’re saying this data (about the risk factors for gay males) was valid 2 years ago… and no study has been done since then… but, somehow, you “know” that the data is now invalid (and a new group is even more at risk)? I’d be curious where this magical knowledge you possess came from, if no new studies have been done?
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 10:09 pm
That is asinine! They screen everyone’s blood before they use it. There is no reason homosexual men cannot donate blood. To me, that is discriminatory!
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 10:09 pm
This is analogous to this article:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Columnists/Jon_Qwelane/0,6119,2-1630-1633_1635269,00.html
It details the reasons behind certain black people’s blood being refused. It’s interesting that even though we seem to think we’ve progressed past all of this, we seem to think that just because someone is a certain race or has a certain sexual orientation that they are automatically not worth even testing. This is actually a disservice to the gay community as well as the black community even if the studies that show a high risk of AIDS for them **ARE** true. The only AIDS test I’ve ever gotten was through the Red Cross when I donated blood. It’s a good deal for someone else because they get my blood, and a good deal for me because I know I don’t have AIDS. If anything, we should be **encouraging** people with a high risk of AIDS infection to give blood so we can inform them of their infection BEFORE THEY SPREAD IT!!!! In essence, the Red Cross is perpetuating infection of all groups of people that it refuses to test. That’s my rant…
Posted on October 31st, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Hank, it is not the Red Cross’ responsibility to test people for AIDS. Most local and state health departments will do it for people for free, so there is no reason for the (private) Red Cross to bear the burden of the cost for testing. Blood products are already outrageously priced (I know- I work in the lab) and the cost would just go up even more if the RC was testing ANY higher risk population just because people thought it should. We recently had a patient who used upwards or $40,000 in blood products in one short day. This is not all that unusual, but it would have been even more costly if your idea was applied. We pay a LOT for blood products (because of all the testing and other costs- the RC is not making money on this,) and we don’t recoup very much on them at all. We are a private, not-for-profit hospital, and we would end up going out of business if we and our suppliers didn’t make hard decisions that might seem cruel. (As a matter of fact, we partnered with a private for-profit blood donation center for a while, but they were out of business in about a year because of the exorbitant cost of obtaining and processing blood specimens.)
I don’t like the exclusion of gay men from giving blood, but I do understand that thought process behind it. I disagree with the comment that gay men are assumed to have many partners- I think that is an untrue stereotype that may have applied to a more vocal part of the population decades ago, but not too much anymore. If gay men are more at risk today, it probably has more to do with the fact that the mechanics of their relations tends to cause tears in an area that is more susceptible to infection by ANY virus or bacteria than any other lifestyle issue.
And FYI, at least at my hospital, blood products DO come with a warning. Every time we order a cross match, we get a big printed warning spit out of our printer at us.
Posted on November 1st, 2007 at 8:56 am
jacob,
i meant that specific site did not do any recent work on the subject is all.
i understand why they don’t let homosexual men not to give blood, but i have sex i’m at risk of getting AIDS too they are just going by a stereotype now. Its a good precaution, but blood should be scanned regardless.
Posted on November 1st, 2007 at 9:31 am
Malin,
I think you need clarify what COUNTRY you are talking about. Where was the news report filmed?
Your readers are an international group and there are huge variances in the laws of different nations.
Posted on November 1st, 2007 at 10:27 am
what do you expect the butsecks lifestyle is just not healthy, i don’t want that risk in blood i pay for, do the math
Posted on November 1st, 2007 at 12:26 pm
im gay pat my ass
Posted on November 5th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
if I want to donate blood they ask me about my lifestyle, how often I have sex with different partners and if I use condoms or not. I think this is much more relevant than if a person is gay or not. I know many gays that prefer to live monogamous and thus would not be a threat to donate blod
Posted on November 6th, 2007 at 5:18 am
WTF , blood is blood
Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
what the hell are they thinking…there blood is as good as ours….wow now i´m angry
Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
I’m a gay man, and I just finished giving blood today. I think it is a fruitful experience to save others’ lives. However the thought that I won’t be able to give blood after I have relations with another man saddens me. I believe it is a stupid outdated law that the FDA has placed and it should be amended. The times are different, I suggest we change with them.
Posted on November 8th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
JT: I so totally agree with you JT!
Posted on November 10th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I just spent a few minutes reading this article and the responses. I won’t bore with a long response but let me say this: the article is true, not exaggerated, all of the facts were present, and this happens in America. I tried to donate blood at my high-school blood drive, as did my then boyfriend and several of our gay friends. All of us were not allowed to donate because we were gay, and we were even told our names were now on a list stating we were at risk candidates and could not donate blood to the American Red Cross. And whenever I think about that it saddens me so much, and makes me so angry I can’t even believe that a rule and such a list exist.
Posted on November 19th, 2007 at 2:14 am
Why would they want to waste their time on a gay couple when there is a high possibility that their blood has diseases? Those people have jobs. It is like a person ordering dinner and not having the money to buy it. Those people get paid to do their jobs. Gay people out there, if you want to help the world, don’t do stupid things like this to show your pride. Pride in sinning is pride in hell, that is a fact.
Posted on November 19th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I’m 17yrs old. I tired to donate blood, and was turned away because of my “lifestyle” I felt embarssed and ashamed, and now I’m oermentaly banned for life for trying to help save a life. Being turned away is saying that Gay males our reckless, sex addicts, that are hiv infested. i’m Negative as of 10/15/2007, and I get check regulary every 3 months..even if i dont have sex. I make sure i’m safe, and wear condoms……. i think i’m safe…. this is very biased.. many men sleep with women and sleep with men all the time all the time, and i think its time that we relize that…..
Posted on November 27th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Hey, when I read this i was like what? I have never heard that before. But if you as a gay or a hetero can proffe that ur not infected by anything why are u not allowed to donate blood? That is strange. Do gay men have different blood to hetero men?
Greetings
Tom
Posted on March 2nd, 2008 at 6:11 am