HRC: Blood Ban Fix Falls Far Short of Acceptable Solution

The Human Rights Campaign, (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, has responded to the recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to move forward with a long-awaited change to the current scientifically unwarranted blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men. A deferral based policy utilizing a one year period of abstinence from same-sex sexual activity will be implemented, as recommended by the federal Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety Availability (ACBTSA), tasked with advising the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

"While this new policy is movement toward an optimal policy that reflects fundamental fairness and the best scientific research, it falls far short of an acceptable solution because it continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men, preventing them from donating life-saving blood based solely on their sexual orientation, rather than a policy based on actual risk to the blood supply,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “This new policy cannot be justified in light of current scientific research and updated blood screening technology. We will continue to work towards an eventual outcome that both minimizes risk to the blood supply and treats gay and bisexual men with the respect they deserve.”

The proposed rule change will now proceed through the federal regulatory channels requiring notice and allowing for public comment. Administration officials will initiate that process in 2015.

The American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers, and the American Association of Blood Banks have characterized the blood ban as medically and scientifically unwarranted as far back as 2006. HRC has been actively engaged for many years in working with the Administration, Congress, and other stakeholders to end the outdated policy banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

GLAAD blasts The View in full page ad in Variety

In a full page ad running in today’s Variety Magazine, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) the Black AIDS Institute and the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) call on the ABC Television Network and its popular morning program The View, to correct misinformation put forth on the June 22 edition of the show.


The ad reads in part, "On June 22, ABC’s The View aired inaccurate information about HIV, blaming African American gay and bisexual men for increased HIV rates among straight African American women. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has publicly disproven this myth. And since June 22, thousands of people have written to ABC, asking that The View Provide correct information to viewers. Unfortunately, those requests have been greeted with silence from both ABC and The View."
The Variety ad placement comes nearly three weeks after inaccurate comments during The View’s "Hot Topics" segment.  That day’s discussion centered on the FDA’s ban that prevents gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

"ABC now knows that it put out dangerous and false information about HIV/AIDS on its airwaves, yet the network still refuses to take responsibility," said Rashad Robinson, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Programs. "ABC and The View’s refusal to correct these inaccurate remarks comes at the expense of African American gay and bisexual men, straight African American women and millions of audience members who need facts about HIV/AIDS, not myths.  It’s extremely disheartening to see a program that usually covers our community with respect, unwilling to correct this serious lapse in editorial judgment."
See the segment, view transcript excerpts and read about GLAAD’s Call to Action on this issue. Over three-thousand people have sent letters to ABC urging an apology and correction.

Key Committee Begins Meeting on Blood Ban for Gay and Bisexual Men

The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – submitted comments in advance of today’s meeting of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability calling for an end to the ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men.  In addition, HRC joined other LGBT and HIV advocacy groups on a letter urging the Committee to revise the current policy, as well as a joint statement with LGBT, HIV and hemophilia organizations expressing our shared commitment to policies that maintain the safety of the blood supply.    
  

The Committee meets today and tomorrow to discuss the scientific rationale for the current policy as well as its societal implications.  A full agenda for the meeting, as well as a link to a live webcast of the proceedings, is available at the Committee’s website at http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/bloodsafety/advisorycommittee/index.html.  HRC’s written testimony and other background and resources are available at www.hrc.org/BloodBan.  

“The lifetime ban on gay and bisexual blood donors, unsupported by today’s scientific understanding of HIV, unnecessarily stigmatizes gay and bisexual men and turns away healthy potential donors that our nation needs,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.  “We urge the Committee to carefully review all the evidence presented and formulate a policy that both protects the security of the blood supply and gives healthy gay and bisexual men the opportunity to help their communities by giving blood.” 

Under a federal rule adopted in 1983, any man who has had sex with another man since 1977, even once, is banned for life from donating blood.  Blood donation policy is set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and agencies that collect blood donations, such as the American Red Cross, are bound by it. For years, HRC has urged the FDA to revise this policyformulated during the height of the AIDS crisis. HRC included lifting the blood donation ban as part of its Blueprint for Positive Change, a series of policy recommendations to the Obama administration.  More information at: www.hrc.org/laws_and_elections/11699.htm.

National Hemophilia Foundation co-chairwoman opposes change to gay blood-donor ban

Kathy Gerus-Darbison, co-chairwoman of a blood-safety committee for the National Hemophilia Foundation, says she supports gay rights but is standing in opposition to lifting the lifetime ban on men who have had sex with men as blood donors, based on her personal experience. Her husband was a hemophiliac who died from transfusion-related AIDS, which also was passed on to her.

Senators call for end of gay blood ban

The time is past due for the Food and Drug Administration to lift a lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have had sex with men since 1977, according to a letter from 18 U.S. senators to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

"Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. The agency, in an statement, said the policy "is based on current science and data and does not give weight to a donor's sexual orientation."

Check out the FDA's official policy on blood donations from men who have sex with other men here.

11th Annual Denver Broncos Community Blood Drive ... Gays not welcome

It's a great cause. Too bad Bonfils Blood Center bans gay people from donating blood. I'm gonna be following up on this so stay tuned.