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Friend,
At the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the FDA banned gay and bisexual men from giving blood entirely. That discriminatory ban stood in place for decades, until 2015, when it was updated to exclude only those who were sexually active in the past year. More recently, in light of COVID-19 and a national blood supply shortage, it was revised to ban donations from gay and bisexual men – and many members of the trans and gender-non-binary community – who have been sexually active in the past three months.
But these revisions don’t get to the heart of the problem. There is no scientific reason to continue this institutionalized homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic practice. Medical experts agree that we can safely lift the ban and save more lives as a result. It’s time to call the FDA’s ban what it is: unscientific, discriminatory, and wrong. If you agree, sign our petition today.
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Due to the current public health crisis, an estimated 86,000 blood donations have been canceled, putting a strain on hospitals and risking the lives of the people who need the blood to survive. With a national supply shortage, the FDA’s blood ban is not only discriminatory — it’s dangerous.
It’s time to permanently end the discriminatory ban that prevents so many members of the LGBTQ+ community from donating blood.
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