|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Kerry Calls for Gay Blood Ban Repeal


JOHN KERRY 20100720 X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM

Sen. John Kerry renewed his effort to get the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revise its current policy barring all gay men from donating blood.

“It’s past time that we examine scientifically and medically sound alternatives to the blanket ban on gay men giving blood,” Kerry said at the FDA’s Blood Products Advisory Committee hearing on Monday. “The science regarding HIV/AIDS contraction has advanced dramatically in the last three decades, and our understanding of what constitutes high risk behavior has grown far beyond the ignorant idea that sexual orientation is an indicator in itself. I trust that, as we move forward in this process, we will be guided by science rather than the past in determining the best screening policies to help make our blood supply even safer for all who depend on it.”

The current policy bars any man from donating blood if they've had sex with another man since 1977. The same policy allows heterosexual men and women who have had sexual contact with an HIV-positive partner to give blood after only a one-year waiting period.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: Zen
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 9:05:07 PM
    Hometown: Orem,UT

    Comment:

    If they *'Dont'* have HIV or AIDS, my bad

  • Name: Zen
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 9:02:00 PM
    Hometown: Orem,UT

    Comment:

    This is taking away from their rights as US citizens, if they test positive for HIV or AIDS then what is the problem? Is he afraid he is going to "contract gay"?

  • Name: CountryBoy
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 5:26:28 PM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    @Victor in Bloomington; Don't be bitchy, dear. The Red Cross does NOT, in point of fact, want our blood. Read their policy statement. They fully support the federal ban on gay blood donors; although in THEIR case they may be acting more out of a concern for legal liability, than anything else. Moreover, I am not a 'single issue' individual; unless my desire for full equality for ALL LGBT people is 'single issue'. If THAT'S the case; I'm guilty.

  • Name: Victor J Kinzer
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 4:07:56 PM
    Hometown: Bloomington, IN

    Comment:

    CountryBoy: The Red Cross does want our blood. Perhaps you should make a point of learning about a subject before commenting on it. The federal government, which is sort of Kerry's responsibility after a fashion is the entity that bans gay blood donation. We don't live in a one issue world.

  • Name: jerry
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 2:22:13 PM
    Hometown: ports

    Comment:

    I would hope ALL blood is put thru rigorous tests- every test there is...the fact that they single us out makes me wonder how safe any of their blood is.

  • Name: CountryBoy
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 1:57:19 PM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    Kerry should worry LESS about blood donations and MORE about getting DADT repealed. If the Red Cross doesn't want our blood; to hell with them!

  • Name: Jeffery B
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 1:42:07 PM
    Hometown: Leesburg

    Comment:

    Back in the 90’ I gave over 1 gallon of my blood because I answered no if I were gay but in 2001 I finally said the truth because I wanted to answer the question truthfully to do the right thing, so now I have been punished for 9 years banned to give blood because I am a Gay man. This is pure discrimination against Gay men only not lesbians, but just Gay men! So the way I see it I will NEVER give blood again even if they lift the ban!

  • Name: David
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 1:03:53 PM
    Hometown: Jackson, OH

    Comment:

    It is discriminatory period. But, I refused to lie when they asked about my sexual orientation. I told them I was gay and they sent me with my walking papers. I will never forget that day and the American Red Cross who was to take my blood can rot in hell.

  • Name: Charles
    Date posted: 7/27/2010 11:30:40 AM
    Hometown: Austin, TX

    Comment:

    Any discriminatory law is a problem. Hopefully Kerry will be more successful with this issue than he was with a presidential campaign. (smile) I still haven't forgotten that disappointment.

  • Name: Mike Scott
    Date posted: 7/26/2010 11:18:10 PM
    Hometown: Richardson, Texas

    Comment:

    Joshua, I was just going to say the same thing! How do they even know you are gay? It's a ban they can't even enforce. How stupid.



Don't Miss
  • Best of Broadway Smash: Why You Will Love It

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of the producers of NBC’s new critically acclaimed musical series, explain why the backstage drama of creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe has mass appeal and why big stars like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Nick Jonas were eager to appear in it.

  • Best of Broadway How Broadway Does a Flea Market

    Find out why actress Kathleen Chalfant calls the annual Flea Market and Grand Auction in Times Square "the most glamorous flea market you've ever seen." It raised half a million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS.

  • Travel Slideshow Flag Gayest Cities in America, 2012

    It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list.

 
 
Advocate Subscribe Promo Banner 300x50
 
Follow Us Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterSubscribe to our RSS feedsDownload our app
Facebook Activity
 
1056 COVER X135 | ADVOCATE.COM
Today's Headlines