{"id":216202,"date":"2022-01-14T09:47:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xtramagazine.com\/?p=216202"},"modified":"2022-01-14T09:47:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:47:20","slug":"american-blood-crisis-msm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xtramagazine.com\/power\/american-blood-crisis-msm-216202","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. is facing a national blood crisis. Why are queer men still barred from donating?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new study hopes to change the \u201coutdated\u201d and \u201cstigmatizing\u201d requirements<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Red Cross declared its first-ever national blood crisis<\/a> Tuesday, as the U.S. faces the worst blood shortage in over a decade due to the pandemic and staffing shortages. In light of the crisis, LGBTQ2S+ advocates are hoping that new research will lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update the current rules around blood donations from gay and bisexual men, which they say are outdated and stigmatizing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers and advocates have been working with financial support from the FDA to pilot an ongoing study that they hope will lead to the elimination of discriminatory restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM). Their goal is to replace the outright ban with a risk-assessment protocol to screen people of any gender or sexual orientation who may be at higher risk of HIV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIdentity-based or demographic-based discrimination policies are really not evidence based at this point,\u201d Christian Morris, community engagement specialist at Whitman-Walker Health, who are partners on the ADVANCE study<\/a>, tells Xtra<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s outdated, and there is a social stigmatizing element to it as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risk-assessment survey would evaluate factors like frequency of unprotected sex, frequency of partners and intravenous drug use. The ADVANCE study (which stands for Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility) aims to survey more than 2,000 queer men to determine the survey\u2019s efficacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A change like this probably wouldn\u2019t solve the blood crisis entirely, but it would certainly help. LGBTQ2S+ advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and GLAAD, have urged the FDA to take action and change the criteria to help rectify the shortage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, Joni Madison, interim HRC president, called the policy \u201cdiscriminatory.\u201d \u201cThe current policy is outdated, does not reflect the state of the science and continues to unfairly stigmatize one segment of society,\u201d Madison adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich Ferraro, chief communications officer at GLAAD, also points out the ban\u2019s unscientific basis. \u201cAll blood donations, regardless of sexual orientation, are screened to ensure healthy samples, and the American Medical Association, the Red Cross, leading elected officials and many others within the medical community have all called for the ban to be lifted,\u201d he tells Xtra<\/em> in a statement. \u201cBy relying on stigma rather than science, the FDA is not just harming members of the LGBTQ community, but all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers in the Democratic contingent of the Congressional Oversight Committee, including House Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), also urged the FDA to loosen the donation requirements in a Thursday letter to acting commissioner Janet Woodcock. They called the policy \u201ctroubling\u201d and said it \u201ccontinues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men and undermine crucial efforts to ensure an adequate and stable national blood supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the addition of an individualized risk-based assessment, the deferral period for all donors in the United States\u2014including MSM\u2014could potentially be eliminated,\u201d the lawmakers write, pointing out that other countries including England, Scotland and Wales have done this in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A three-month deferral period for gay and bisexual men to safely donate blood not only unfairly stigmatizes a segment of society, but is also dangerous amid a country-wide blood shortage.@OversightDems<\/a> are calling on @US_FDA<\/a> to revise this policy.https:\/\/t.co\/94uK087hen<\/a><\/p>— Oversight Committee (@OversightDems) January 13, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>