School Nearly
Boycotts Red Cross Blood Drive Over Gay Ban

The University of Vermont's student government narrowly voted Tuesday against forbidding the American Red Cross to collect blood on campus after considering a resolution to boycott drives because gay men aren't allowed to donate, according to the Associated Press.

After more than three hours of discussion and debate, the university's Student Government Association rejected the boycott resolution 16-15.

The federal Food and Drug Administration enacted the policy in 1983, and all blood collection organizes must follow it. Supporters of the student government resolution argued that FDA policy contradicts the university's nondiscrimination standards.

Gay men who aren't allowed to donate blood "are essentially being told that they're bad and dirty," Dot Brauer, director of the school's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning and Allied Services, told the AP. Hosting the Red Cross on campus, she said, "indicates our agreement."

Red Cross officials told the AP on Tuesday that they disagree with FDA policy and have requested that it be changed. (The Advocate)