They’re asked about the number of male sexual partners, type of male sex, condom use, sex with an HIV positive person, and lastly about the type and frequency of PrEP use - that's pre-exposure prophylaxis, medication used to preemptively block HIV infection from sexual contact or injection drug use. “The Red Cross believes blood donation eligibility should not be based on sexual orientation and is committed to working toward that goal,” Wilson said, though it’s unclear whether the number of excluded donors would make a significant difference for the blood shortage.ĪDVANCE participants donate blood for assessment, and also answer questionnaires aimed at determining their risk-level for transmitting HIV. It launched a year ago, and involved 2,000 participants across eight cities. Wilson, the Senior Biomedical Communications Specialist for the Red Cross, said the study is funded by the FDA. The program is only running in eight larger cities, including Atlanta, GA and Washington, D.C.
The FDA is in the process of exploring different safety regulations for MSMs through the ADVANCE study (Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility). The FDA could change guidelines, but does 'not have a specific timeline' And all blood used for transfusions is tested for HIV and other diseases, so any infected blood should be caught, regardless of the donor’s sexual orientation or activity. But unfortunately, the rules keep me from doing my part.”īigham’s risk of providing blood that’s unsafe is very low - his risk level is the same as any married person, or any other person in a committed relationship. “There's a good chance that, especially as I get older, I'm going to be in the hospital one day, and I'm going to need it. “I believe its part of my civic duty to give blood,” Bigham said. It’s been more than 20 years since he last gave blood, though he’d do it much more often if he were allowed. “I think it's just part of the age-old discrimination against gay people, especially gay men,” he said. He says the guidance still feels like bigotry.
Matt Bigham is a teacher at Winter Park Elementary, and has been in a committed partnership with another man for 23 years. Still, healthcare advocates and queer activists alike say the limit is still discriminatory, and not based in science.
The goal was to help more donations come in during an earlier blood shortage caused by the pandemic. The same policy was in place for tattoos.īut in April of 2020, the FDA released new guidance that changed that time limit from 12 months to three months. Food and Drug Administration used to require a year between the last date of sexual contact with another man and the date of blood donation. And while that’s a long time, it’s actually shorter than it used to be: the U.S. Men who are sexually active with other men (MSMs) aren’t allowed to donate blood unless they’ve been celibate for three months. It’s almost unimaginable,” she said.īut even as the Red Cross is struggling to meet demand, some prospective donors are still barred from giving blood. “If more donors don’t come out to give, hospitals may be forced to delay care to patients relying on blood transfusion.
Tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee limited blood collection in those areas, and recent winter storms have likely caused similar problems. right now, exacerbated by the pandemic, the holiday season, and recent winter storms that have cancelled blood drives while sometimes increasing demand.Ĭally Edwards, the Communications Director for the Eastern North Carolina Red Cross, said the shortage is the worst in ten years. There’s a major blood shortage in the U.S.