The Rules About Gay Blood Donors Aren't Bigotry

National Catholic Register ^ | Jun 15, 2016 | Simcha Fisher

[fwdude]

There was lots to be angry about after the Orlando shooting. It's outrageous that the shooter was able to get a gun legally, despite the red flags on his record. It's outrageous that it's so easy to get a gun that can spray a room (including an armed off duty police officer) with bullets in a matter of seconds. It's outrageous that, before the echos of the ambulance sirens died away, we started right in saying horrible things about all gay people, all Muslims, all gun owners.

There are fifty people dead. There is lots to be angry about.

One thing doesn't belong on this list, though, and that's the rules about gay men donating blood. In several places on social media, folks are outraged at the FDA, because the FDA says that men who have had sex with other men within the last year cannot donate blood. "It's just bigotry!" they say. "It's just another way of making gay men be 'the other.' Gay men have as much right to donate blood as anyone else."

Let's untangle these objections.

[fwdude]

An old article that has become newly relevant with the newly relaxed FDA guidelines.

Read many of the excellent comments after that article. A lot of good points supporting the ban.

[fwdude]

From the article (and I highly agree):

The current guidelines from the FDA are, if anything, not restrictive enough. For instance, they allow transgendered people to self-report what gender they are; so if I were born a male, and then have sex with other males, and then begin to identify as a woman, I can say to the Red Cross, "No, I am not a man who has recently had sex with other men." Good luck with that batch of blood, hemophiliacs.

Transgender “women” are one of the groups most highly at risk for HIV. And we’re letting them identify as women who are at low risk? Insanity!

[pepsi_junkie]

Believe science. Unless it’s not favorable to a democrat interest group, then science is ***ist/***phobic.

[kaehurowing]

People forget all the folks that died from AIDS-tainted blood transfusions.

[nagant]

Men who have sex with men are 75 TIMES as likely to have HIV as the overall population.

[LouAvul]

It would seem that after Ryan White died, we'd know to keep fags out of the plasma store. But, no. We're so desperate to parade our virtue we gladly allow our children to be raped/killed/infected by perverts.

Anything, but to be accused of "bigotry."

[FewsOrange]

I last lived in Ireland 25 years ago and the red cross won’t take my blood because of the fear of vCJD (mad cow disease)

[VeniVidiVici]

There is a chance my blood could be contaminated with Mad Cow disease. Because of that, the Red Cross won’t let me donate.

On the other hand, I could lie, donate my blood and then hope it doesn’t go to a gay guy who could possibly get Mad Cow.

[Paal Gulli]

They won’t take my blood because I spent too much time in the formerly great Britain during the Mad Cow Disease scare, and I don’t feel the least but offended by it (but might that complacency be a symptom of the disease?).