American Red Cross Steps In And Asks FDA To Reduce Wait Time For LGBT+ Donors

The American Red Cross has asked the Food and Drug Administration to reduce their wait time for gay and bisexual men blood donors.

Blood donations are needed but unfortunately, not everyone is eligible. Currently, the American Red Cross prohibits men who have same-sex relations from donating blood unless they abstain from sex for more than 12 months.

“It’s part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s guidance “Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products” deferral criteria,” according to ‘NewsChannel 6’.

“If my spouse got into a car accident and needed blood and I was a match, I wouldn’t be able to do that,” said Michael Barnard Jenkins who is married to a man and so was excluded from donating blood to the American Red Cross.

“Ever since I came out of the closet, it was just one thing that I knew I would never be able to do,” Barnard Jenkins he continues. “That’s hard being an individual knowing that I could never be there to support fellow Americans or even just someone in need. Even if you’ve got a family member that’s in the hospital. If you’re a match, you can’t help them.”

The American Red Cross issued a statement saying: “…the Red Cross believes blood donation eligibility should not be determined by methods that are based upon sexual orientation.”

“I think that we’re moving in the right direction of making progress. With the right technology and resources that we have now, they can detect an HIV or AIDS virus in as little as 11 days when you donate blood versus 12 months to a year. We’ve come a long way since 1983 when it was first put in place,” Barnard Jenkins said of the request for a change.

Read related myGwork articles here:

World’s First Blood Bank For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood Expected To Launch Next Month

Canada Reduces Waiting Time for Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men

Denmark to Allow Gay Men to Donate Blood After Four Month Waiting Period

Gay man’s tissue donation refused because of his sexual orientation

Taiwan to relax laws on gay men donating blood

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