Why are gay men barred from donating blood?

Jose Miller3 said:a) there's no need to save it since most of the prep needs to be used within about 10 days
2) you wouldn't see any antibodies because the blood doesn't even produce them.

they aren't stupid.

thanks😘

so receiving someone else's blood is basically just a lottery...

Larry Cruz51 said:then getting someone else's blood really is like playing the lottery...

I mean, look, it’s not exactly how you put it.

The odds of someone actually donating blood during that specific window in a country where we've only had a few hundred registered AIDS cases so far—well, it’s not exactly a huge risk...

Larry Cruz51 said:It’s just like a guy getting screwed in the ass.

Good grief. 🙂
Look, here's the deal. Yeah, the tissue is more prone to injury, so there's a higher risk of transmission during anal sex.
But if a guy has a wife and he's screwing her in the ass, he's probably more or less regularly screwing her in the vagina too—excuse my French—and if she's HIV-positive, he's likely going to get infected either way.

hey girls, can I please, please ask that we don't pivot to that one super easy topic... you know, who's sleeping with who, when, and how they actually fuck (excuse my french) 😁

Edward Green said:Oh my goodness... 🙂
Look, here is the thing. Because the tissue is more susceptible to injury, there is a higher risk of transmission during anal sex.
But if someone is married and they are fucking their wife there, it is very likely they are also having regular vaginal sex—excuse my French—and if she happens to be HIV-positive, he will probably catch it one way or another anyway.

Well, yeah... I honestly don't understand why they don't just include a standard question on those medical tests: "Do you engage in anal sex?"😁

Jose Miller3, I am heading out of this thread now. I finally figured out what I needed to know...

Larry Cruz51 said:So getting someone else's blood is basically just playing the lottery...

Yeah. 😈

And having unprotected sex with a stranger? That's straight-up Russian roulette. 🙂 🙂 🙂

rapidwalker7 said:During the pre-donation physical, you have to sign a statement confirming you haven't had sexual contact with someone of the same sex...
If you aren't willing to sign that, they likely won't let you donate blood.

I still donate. I just shrug at that declaration and sign it every single time.😁

This is wild.👎 I have a gay friend, and I know what those relationships—and most gay relationships, for that matter—are like. If the fact that someone cycles through 25 partners in three years means anything to anyone. Most follow that pattern, and if a couple actually manages to "last," others try to tear them apart. There were reports in the news about a specific HIV epidemic among gay men here in the States. Honestly, please, just stop donating.🙄

rapidwalker7 said:Is it because they’re considered a high-risk group?!? Or is there some other reason?

As a gay man, I donate blood regularly every three months. I sign those medical declarations without any hesitation because I truly believe it's a good deed.
I've tested negative for HIV, and I'm not promiscuous... Is there actually a specific reason why I wouldn't be allowed to donate?

Why wouldn't they be able to donate?😕 Besides, most people don't even come out as gay, so how on earth would anyone determine if someone is gay anyway?
By their clothes?
Their behavior?
Give me a break,
Obviously, a gay person can't donate if they are HIV-positive or have any other illness, but that doesn't make them any different from the average person facing those same conditions and laws.
Honestly, it’s becoming quite distasteful how some people—specifically within the gay community—try to grab attention by constantly playing the victim.
For heaven's sake, just live your lives; nobody is bothering you, so please just leave us alone.
🙄

Thomas Peterson46 said:Obviously, a gay man can't donate blood if he's HIV-positive or has any other illness, but that doesn't make him any different from an average guy facing the exact same conditions and laws...

No. If a guy checks the box on the questionnaire saying he's ever had sex with another man, he's permanently barred from being a voluntary donor. It doesn't matter if he's HIV-positive or not, or whether he's had a sexual life in the last five years or not.
It's not even close.

jadetinker85 said:Oh please, just stop donating blood altogether.

She’s saying that to a guy who isn't even promiscuous and is already HIV-negative.
Because her friend is the one playing the field.

I know plenty of straight people who are promiscuous, so what, are all straight people banned from donating now? Give me a break.

Thomas Peterson46 said:And why shouldn't they be allowed to donate?😕
Most people don't even identify as gay, so what criteria would you even use to decide if someone is?
Clothing?
Behavior?
Give me a break.
Obviously, a homosexual can't donate blood if they are HIV-positive or have any other illness, but that puts them in the same boat as the average person facing those same conditions and laws.
Frankly, it’s becoming disgusting how some people—specifically gay individuals—constantly try to grab attention by playing the victim.
Just live your lives; nobody is bothering you, so leave us alone.🙄

Your post suggests you haven't actually read the discussion here, so you clearly don't grasp the issue. This isn't about seeking attention or playing victims; it's about actual discrimination. If you had ever been decent enough to donate blood and paid attention to the medical questionnaire you're required to sign, you'd understand exactly what we're talking about. 🙄

Jamie Clark74, I don't personally have an issue with any of those requirements, though I can't say donating blood is the first thing on my mind.

As for the rule about turning away anyone who's had sex with someone of the same gender—that's just silly. But if we're talking about being sexually active in general, the risk of transmitting HIV increases, and it wouldn't be right for those individuals to donate.

Justin Fox said:Jamie Clark74, look, I don't have an issue with any of those requirements, even though donating blood isn't really something on my radar.

Regarding the rule about turning away anyone who’s ever had sex with someone of the same gender—that's pretty nonsense. But if we're talking about someone who is sexually active, the statistical risk of HIV transmission goes up, and it just doesn't seem right for them to be donating blood.

Bravo!!! 🙏 🙏 🙏

We have a winner!!!

The most incredibly humane person of the week, the month, the entire yearrrrrr... Justin Fox !!!! :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

But seriously, sweetie, tell us this: Since you're such a man of principle, would you turn down someone else's blood if you were lying there crushed after a car wreck and a transfusion was the only thing that could save your life? Huh? 😈

Raymond James said:It seems like you haven't actually read through the discussions here, so you're missing the point entirely. This isn't about seeking attention or playing the victim; it's about actual discrimination. If you were ever kind enough to donate blood and took a moment to look over the medical questionnaire you sign, you'd have a much better grasp of what we're talking about. 🙄

Please, let's not play games,
I've been following the thread and the overall topic very closely. My comment toward the end was just an observation based on several different events, regardless of your specific point.
And just to be clear... I don't have any issue with gay people, nor do I wish anyone any harm.
👋

Edward Green said:Not really. If a man checks the box stating he's had sexual contact with another man, he’s permanently disqualified from being a voluntary donor. It doesn't matter if he's HIV-positive or if he hasn't had a sexual encounter in five years.
It's just not the same way.

In that case, it's honestly pretty pathetic and really ought to be changed.👎

Exactly.

I’ve donated blood maybe seven or eight times in total, but I have to say, I felt genuinely insulted by the way things were handled during my last donation about two years ago. It went something like this: first, there was all this massive media hype about a critical blood shortage. So, I headed out in my city to find the local blood center, which was a struggle in itself because they had moved since my last visit and hadn't posted any signs anywhere. To make matters worse, I got caught in a downpour on the way. Once I finally arrived, I sat there waiting quite a while before anyone even showed up—where was all that "emergency" urgency they were talking about? When someone did appear, they just gave me a grumpy direction on where to go. I handed over my donor card and made sure to mention that they hadn't recorded my last three donations, which they really should have done. The doctor checked their database and promised she would update it. She took a finger prick test, and then handed me that infamous questionnaire—the one filled with those overly intimate questions asking if I'm gay or if I have multiple partners, and so on. Honestly, it feels so pointless; if someone actually intended to pass on an infection, a set of intrusive questions isn't going to stop them... 🙄 It wasn't always like this. Moving on. In an atmosphere of general laziness—where it felt like I was interrupting their coffee break or whatever else they were idling through (despite the supposed "crisis")—I finally sat down in the donor chair and let the blood flow into the bag. By some strange coincidence, there was another donor there who seemed much more interesting to the nurse, as she spent the whole time chatting with him. She probably should have been keeping an eye on the process instead... instead, she just looked at me once and told me I looked pale! Well, of course I looked pale; I was soaked from the rain and frustrated with the whole ordeal! How ridiculous. She ought to look in a mirror herself... 😠
When I was leaving, my donor card was waiting for me at the exit. And wouldn't you know it, they still hadn't recorded the donation, let alone the previous ones. The doctor had vanished, of course, leaving nothing but a janitor standing there.

And now, the epilogue.
Since then, they have called my cell phone at least ten times—they obviously grabbed my number during that last visit—telling me there's a massive crisis, that they are desperately short of my specific blood type, and that I absolutely MUST come in urgently to donate. I usually tell them I'll be there, but then I simply don't show up. The whole way they handle things feels disrespectful. There was a time when blood donors were treated with actual dignity, and I used to walk away feeling good, knowing I had truly done something meaningful...

rapidwalker7 said:Is it because they're considered a high-risk group? Or is there some other reason behind it?

I'm gay and I donate blood regularly every three months. I sign that medical disclosure without any hesitation because I truly believe I'm doing something good for others.
I've tested negative for HIV, and I'm not promiscuous... Is there actually a specific reason why I shouldn't be able to donate?

Because they think gay people are unhealthy, and unhealthy people shouldn't be donating blood.

Thomas Peterson46 said:Don't try to twist my words.
I have stayed perfectly on topic.
The conclusion at the end was simply an observation based on several independent events, regardless of your thread..
And... I have no issue with homosexuals, nor do I wish anyone any harm.👋

First off, apologies for misgendering you. It happens. 😁
Second, there is no need for defensiveness. I wasn't attacking you, nor was it my intention to offend (my apologies if it came across that way).
I didn't say you were off-topic—you were on-topic, you just missed the point of what we were trying to convey. The point is that the regulation is as useless as many others. If everyone strictly followed those guidelines, we wouldn't even have this small pool of donors who show up every few months to give their precious blood. And God help anyone intentionally trying to infect someone else.

I honestly think we shouldn't let high-risk groups donate blood.
The risk is just way too high.
Especially since an HIV test is really just checking for antibodies,
which don't even show up until a while after someone gets infected!