gay men cant give blood?

Question

is this true?

Answer 1

Unfortunately yes... In South Africa blood donated by gay men have been found to be destroyed at some blood banks, and they get lots of grief when they try to donate blood. Its a very sad steriotype that all gay met must have Aids... When in fact, in South Africa there are more straight woman infected than gay men. Its an ongoing fight in this country as blood is needed so badly, and the people that are good enough to donate are being sent away.

Answer 2

I live in Australia. Even people who visited England during the mad cow thing a few years ago can't give blood.

Edit: Just found this on the Slate website today:

The FDA reaffirmed its ban on blood donations by gay men. Policy: We ask you if you've had sex with a man since 1977. If you say yes, you can't donate. Rationale: You're an HIV risk. Objections: 1) Tests have improved, so we can detect HIV within three weeks of infection. 2) Therefore, the "have you ever" question should be modified from 30 years to three weeks, or at most, a year. FDA's rebuttal: The tests aren't perfect. Critics' rebuttal: Neither is the blood supply. Human Nature's view: The policy is nuts, since the tests are more reliable than the answers to the "have you ever" question.

Answer 3

What a silly question. Of course they can give blood because all blood is now tested first before using it. It is only blood from abroad that cant be used unless tested first. I have an illness that causes me to have 8 pints of blood transfused about every 3 month. Over the last 5 years that amounts to a lot of blood and I have no doubt that some of it came from gay people. I would like to thank everyone for what they gave and that includes all gays. Without them I would be dead now.

Answer 4

Yes, absolutely, at least in the U.S. Check the American Red Cross link below. I suppose you "could" give blood, but you'd have to either have been celibate for 3 decades, or lie about it, because they explicitly ask this question as part of the screening process. Perhaps some locations recognize how ludicrous this rule is given the advances in blood testing, and look the other way, but they're breaking the rules.

If you're straight, and have been treated for Syphillis, you're good to go after 12 months. You should also note that sex with a heroin-addicted female prostitute carries the same 12 month waiting period.

Answer 5

I am a blood donor within the UK and there are bars on men who have had either oral or anal sex with another man. As is there other bars for those who have had sex with a man who has had this type of sexual contact. There are bars for for a man if he has had sex with a woman who has had previous sex with a man that has had oral or anal sex with another man. This is a catch all scenario which is designed to prevent any possible risk of the HIV virus entering the donation chain.

There is no specific bar on a homosexual man from giving blood if he has not took part in the aforementioned sexual activity.

Let me add too that there are bar for all types of reasons and the one that doesn't specify homosexual activity. The one that can bar people from giving blood that do not fall into the above category is the one that says "Anyone that has received a blood transfusion since 1980". Also anyone that has come into contact with CJD, been to a malarial country, been to a country where AIDS is prevalent.

For further information on who is allowed to give blood within the UK go to http://www.blood.co.uk

I am pleased to say that I have given 34 units of blood for the use of others :o)

Answer 6

Yes, it is true. You know whats funny? My uncle is straight and became infected with HIV from a woman. So Why is it that people are so narrow minded to think only gay pepole have the virus and not straight people. As for my straight friends, they talk about how they don't use condom because they dont like them, my gay friends know better. So I wonder who has truly become more infected...homosexuals or heterosexuals? HIV is trackable, they could still alllow gay men to donate blood test it for a few months and know whether that batch was safe or not. And if it turned out that it wasn't, well guess what...use it for testing to help establish a cure.

Answer 7

Yes it is true that gay men cannot give blood (well gay men who have had protected or unprotected anal or oral sex with other men, which in practice is almost all gay men)

The site:
https://secure.blood.co.uk/c11_cant.asp
says:
You should never give blood if:
1...
2 You're a man who's had sex with another man, even "safe sex" using a condom.

My view on it is to use your common sense: if you have had a recent STD HIV test that was negative, and you know that you have not been engaging in risky sexual behaviours then give blood - just don't tell them you're gay. We need more blood donations, so by giving blood you're saving the medical bigots from themselves.

Answer 8

I think this got changed a few years ago. I recently asked my doctor and he said I could donate. They test all the blood anyways, and gay men are no more promiscuous now than before.

The rules were from back in the day when HIV in North America was seen as a gay issue, and they didn't want to spread it further.

The only problem as I recall is people just lie, heck even my heterosexual friends lie on blood applications, awful stuff that. So now they don't have to lie anymore.

Answer 9

No thats crap my gay friend always donates blood.

Everyone goes through the same screening and the bloods are always checked for diseases. Anyone can contract HIV not just gay people! If that was the case no one would be able to give blood.

Answer 10

I have a friend who, during the screening process, was refused for giving his blood because he indicated his being a gay man. He also indicated that he hadn't been sexually active for more than five years, and had no communicable diseases. (No AIDS, at all....) The sexuality question was one of the last questions they asked and after he indicated he was gay, the screening agent closed their booklet and said there would be no further questions....this struck him and I as being very uneducated. How does this make others feel?