Protesters back Milford teen who was rejected as blood donor

The New Haven Register ^ | 12/05/2004 | Brian McCready and Cara Baruzzi, Register Staff

[oh8eleven]

I was actually commenting more on ...
Superintendent of Schools Gregory A. Firn said he asked the Red Cross Friday to investigate whether a staff member inadvertently discriminated against Mannle. "We don’t believe in discriminating against any individual," Firn said.
The superintendent of schools is more worried about "offending" someone that contaminating the damned blood supply! Insane.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Does anyone else recall a talk radio program sometime in the early 80's during which a homosexual stated that this was exactly what they planned to do? I can't remember whose program it was.

I don't recall, but I think it's obvious that they mean the heterosexual population some kind of harm. How else can you interpet it? The reality is that sexually active homosexuals are riddled with diseases of all kinds, and they know themselves to be at extremely high risk for those diseases and HIV.

[DameAutour]

Statistically, more heterosexual women in Connecticut have AIDS than do gay men, he said.

Would it be good journalistic practice to catch these kinds of misleading statements? After all, after Zell Miller's electrifying convention speech, all the AP and other organizations would focus on is the "fact" that Dick Cheney had supported cutting a few weapons programs in the past. They weren't quoting someone else, they added that little "fact check" themselves. Surely someone could have done the same with "Ms." Lang.

According to The Connecticut Department of Health, there were 13844 reported cases of AIDS through June 2004. 22% of them were men who sleep with men. Yet these make up no more than 2.8% of the population (to be generous). 24% were heterosexual women. Yet these make up 51.6% of the population of Connecticut.

[Dog Gone]

I go to Costa Rica every year which bars me from donating blood regardless of the fact that I may never see a mosquito and the malaria rate down there is extremely low.

I don't want a tranfusion from a gay guy. I think the risks of getting AIDS from that are much higher and more serious than getting malaria from a tourist.

[muawiyah]

You may be on to something. Wasn't the movie "Stepford Wives" set in Connecticut?

That's why they got taken to "Stepford".

[Feiny]

That is just sick.

I was rejected from giving blood several years ago because I was not sure I wasn't pregnant. It turned out I wasn't & I returned to donate with no problems.

[SuziQ]

The policy has angered many in the gay community, who view it as discriminatory and outdated. The FDA maintains that homosexual sex is an "at risk" activity for the spread of HIV and the need to protect the blood supply takes priority over the feelings of gay men.

I don't give a rat's a$$ about a homosexual man's 'feelings'! I want the blood supply to be disease free! That is one of the major reasons for the Red Cross.

Can you imagine what one of these men would do if they had to receive blood because of an accident, and received AIDS tainted blood? Do you think he'd be 'understanding' because the Red Cross had been sensitive to honosexuals? HELL NO! He'd sue their a$$es off!

[exnavychick]

I get rejected all of the time because of my weight (I'm too small). I gather that is more for my own protection, I suppose.

[exnavychick]

Can you imagine what one of these men would do if they had to receive blood because of an accident, and received AIDS tainted blood? Do you think he'd be 'understanding' because the Red Cross had been sensitive to honosexuals? HELL NO! He'd sue their a$$es off!

_________________________________________________________

And probably try to claim that they did it deliberately because he was gay.

[Feiny]

Sure...brag about how skinny you are....go eat a cookie.
***grin***

[exnavychick]

Don't worry...I'm preggers right now, and I'm sure to look like a good-sized zepplin shortly, lol! I always end up eating more than my fair share of cookies when I'm pg...so what kind ya got? LOL

:)

[It's me]

There are many, many hemophiliacs who were given HIV tainted blood by accident.

I'm sure they would have been very happy to have the restriction in place years ago.

This little snot should go and talk to these HIV infected people and see what they think.

[Feiny]

Sorry, no cookies...but I do have a few homemade truffles.

[exnavychick]

Hmmmmm....yummy!!! I'm gonna have to steal my MIL's million dollar fudge recipe-and I don't even like chocolate!

Maybe some peanut brittle...some hot cocoa? Ack, I am losing it! Look what you started! LOL I have to get these cravings under control.

I'll quit hijacking this thread now, lol.

[dangus]

Or wasn't that Stamford Wives? :^D

[muawiyah]

Could be, eh?!

[L.N. Smithee]

Currently, there is an average 11-day window between the time a person is infected with HIV and the time it is detected by nucleic acid testing. That is why, according to the Red Cross, that blood donors engaged in high-risk activity, such as homosexual sex and intravenous drug use, are deferred from donating blood.

(snip)

Mannle said Friday he wasn’t angry when he was told he could not donate blood. "I was in shock," he said. After thinking about how he was treated, he became incensed. "They never asked if I had unprotected sex," he said.

(snip)

Leif Mitchell of Yale University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research said Mannle’s complaint really has nothing to do with the Red Cross because the FDA requires it to ask the questions. Instead of inquiring about gay sex, screeners should ask donors if they’ve had unprotected sex, Mitchell said.

That would be as stupid as saying a junkie could give blood as long as he said he used clean needles! And since this deal was so important to Mannle (how do you pronounce that?) that he outed himself, what's to say he wouldn't have just lied about having unprotected sex? After all, nowhere in this article does Mannle say whether or not he has had unprotected sex!

Shawn Lang, a member of the Connecticut AIDS Residence Coalition and co-chairman of the state’s AIDS policy group, [said] more heterosexual women in Connecticut have AIDS than do gay men, he said.

I don't believe this for a second. There's some statistical gymnastics involved in that quote, or else it would have front page news long ago! When AIDS first became known as "a gay disease," the queer radicals promoted the idea that eventually, AIDS would ravage the heterosexual majority. We're still waiting.

What a self-centered jackass.

My sentiments exactly. The Gay-stapo wants you to believe that letting the practitioners of a dangerous, unnatural sex act give blood for the sole purpose of letting them feel good about themselves is more important than protecting the blood supply from the uncurable disease that's been killing them for two decades. How shameful!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Actually, the Gaystapo want straight people to contract HIV so that it is perceived as a disease that "is not just for gays and junkies." I think most of them would be delighted if HIV were not detectable in blood so they could spread it to as many straight people as possible.

And who the Hell gave Mannle the right to decide whether or not his practices meet the standard of "safe" or "protected" sex. [David Broudnoy, Boston radio talk show host and HIV sufferer, avers that he has never had "unsafe sex". Jeez, thanks for the blood donation, Dave.] The safest sex is that within a monogamous, exclusive relationship, an extremely rare arrangement for two gay men.

[SuziQ]

I get rejected all of the time because of my weight (I'm too small)

*Whining* SHUT UUUUP! ;o)

[SuziQ]

And probably try to claim that they did it deliberately because he was gay.

Yep, it's all about them.