FDA's gay blood ban. . .what would you do?

The FDA bans any male who has committed a homosexual act since 1977 from donating blood. The reasoning for this is somewhat convoluted, and has changed several times. Currently, officially, gays cannot give blood because there is a lapse between HIV infection and accurate detection of HIV antibodies, 2 months max.

You can give blood if you have had Syphilis or Gonarrhea. . . even if you have genital warts. (it's true, check the Red Cross page) But, you cannot give blood if you have had gay sex, even once, in the last 31 years. The Red Cross has sought to abolish this since 2005 but the FDA refuses.

Should a gay still try to give blood? Should he lie? Tell the truth and get rejected? Would you turn down someone's blood because of his orientation?

As someone who has needed a lot of transfusions, I'd hope all the healthy ones would lie and still donate. I don't give a damn who donated blood to me as long as they were healthy (and the blood is tested for everything possible anyway).

To the people who say "It's my blood and they don't deserve it"...wow, how selfish can you get? It's not "them" who are receiving (or "deserving of") the blood. They're just collecting. Lie to get past them. They're the smallest part of the donation process, very easy to get around.

I am gay and i would give blood and lie aboit it. Its the same with donating plazma..........we put no risk on anyone anymore then a str8t person....

it's pretty stupid.
But seing as though I have a rare and usefull blood type AB-, screw them, they're only cutting off their noses to spite their faces. It's my blood and they don't deserve it. (society should be about both giving and recieving, as per russeaus social contract)

I would do it just to prove how ridiculous the system has been.
Or they can just not have my blood.
I'm std free, their problem.

And then I'd like to see them prove you had sex with a guy.
I mean I don't know what the punishment is for lying for a good deed.

if some one really wants to get a needle stuck in their arm and have blood sucked out of they body then i guess they could lie if they didn't have hiv or aids.....

If they do not want my blood that is there loss, however I'm an organ donor and they never asked me if i was gay. How is that possible?

Its retarded. Are black woman allowed to give blood? Hell yes and they are the fastest growing population of AIDS infected humans. I can see why the fear was there over ten years ago but in this day we are hardly the threat people thought we were or make us out to be. Its an outdated ban and needs to be changed. This country has alot of outdated ideas and processes. Hope we can start to show we are as progressive and intelligent as we say we are.

So two male virgins could have sex together and they'd both be banned?

If you've been celibate for two months, have your blood tested. When they ask, use Clinton's definition of sex.

It's not right, especially since they test the blood for any contamination prior to giving it to anyone else anyway. There are lots of gays who just simply lie on the form, no one will ever know.