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In light of the HIV and hepatitis B epidemic in the 1970s and ‘80s, health experts realized these conditions could be transmitted through blood. Why Can’t Gay, Bi and Queer Men Donate Blood? Here, we’re taking a look at why the lifetime ban is so harmful, and what can be done to encourage the FDA to repeal this discriminatory policy. With the blood shortage crisis impacting the U.S., why can’t we find a compromise that allows men to donate blood, no matter their sexual orientation or sex life? Yet, the long-standing restrictions remain in effect. And it’s been 40 years since the first five cases of what would be called AIDS were reported.
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In 2020, GLAAD even put forth a petition, asking the FDA to repeal the ban. Organizations like GLAAD, a self-described “media monitoring organization, founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of ”, have called the FDA’s policy outright discriminatory. These critics called for the end of the three-month celibacy requirement for gay, bisexual and queer men and further encouraged the FDA to lift what now seems like an unfair and unreasonable lifetime ban on otherwise eligible and willing blood donors. Senators joined activists and organizations that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, in speaking out. Following the influx of hospital patients in dire need of blood during the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure has been mounting on the FDA yet again.