Why are gay men barred from donating blood?

gay men are definitely a high-risk group!

Hey rise, sweetheart, when was the last time you actually got tested, and how many risky encounters have you had since then?

robybaggio said:If you're gay, you don't have to try very hard to find sex.

Some straight guys don't exactly have to work hard either. 😉
My condolences.

Okay, someone slept with a guy once and thinks the ban is stupid. But how many guys did that other person sleep with? Use your brain, there’s logic here.

What's the window period? You think if you catch HIV from a guy who caught it from another guy, it becomes an invisible virus?

Let's break this down for the slow learners.
Blood gets tested.
If a person hasn't had any risky sex for a certain period and they aren't infected, great. If they have, then banning blood donation is pure idiocy. And that goes for straight people too.
If someone is infected, it shows up.
But if they had a risky encounter five years ago, and the window period is just a few weeks, it doesn't matter if they were at some massive orgy in a small town back then. If they're infected, it'll be visible by now. If they aren't, they aren't. There shouldn't be an issue with donating blood regardless of whatever risky behavior happened years ago. If they're clean, they're clean.

Anyone who’s had a risky encounter or been exposed to someone else's blood in the last few weeks is considered high-risk. If it happened before then, and they're actually infected, it'll show up. If it doesn't, there’s no reason they can't donate.

How hard is that to wrap your head around?

Edward Green said:Anyone who has had a risky encounter or been exposed to someone else's blood within the last few weeks is considered high-risk. If someone was exposed prior to that window and is infected, it will show up. If they aren't, there should be no issue with donating blood.

How hard is it to grasp this concept?

👍 👍

I'm thinking about becoming a blood donor, but I wanted to check in here first to see what everyone's experience has been like. Like, what's the actual vibe? How often can you really go in and donate? And honestly, are there any perks involved? I heard a rumor that if you hit 50 donations, you get some kind of lifetime pass for the MTA, but I don't know if that's even close to true. Most importantly though—do they take every type of blood, or do they end up tossing some out? I mean, assuming it's totally clean and free of any viruses or bacteria, obviously. (If there's already a recent thread about this, let me know)🙏

Maybe take a quick peek at what's already here before you jump in and start a new thread?

There are actually a few discussions going on about blood donors—the most recent one is the thread I'm linking you to right now...

Maybe just check the Red Cross website instead?

Melissa Rivera5 said:I want to become a blood donor, but before I head out, I want to hear about other people's experiences. What's the process like? How often can you donate, and what are the perks (is it true that after 50 donations you get a lifetime pass for the MTA?!). Most importantly, do they take any blood type, or do they reject certain types even if they aren't infected with viruses or bacteria? (If there’s a recent post on this, let me know)🙏

It's straightforward. You just show up at the blood donation center (in Chicago, it's located at Petrov 3) and tell them you're there to donate. For your first time, they'll collect all your info. Bring your ID.
First, they prick your finger to check your iron levels. Then, you see a doctor for a quick screening—basically just checking your blood pressure and going through that infamous questionnaire full of invasive questions. 😠
If you're underweight (minimum height minus 113), they might turn you away. Also, the lower limit for blood pressure is 110/70.

After that, you sit back comfortably while a decent young professional (could be male or female 😁 ) sticks you with a needle and pumps until you've given about a pint of precious fluid.

Then you head over to grab some snacks at their cafeteria and have a couple of ounces of black coffee to help restore your levels and iron... 😬

Afterward, you'll receive a small little booklet to carry with you; they log every donation in there.

IMPORTANT: Men can donate every 3 months; women every 4 months (make sure you aren't on your period, otherwise they won't accept you—the blood quality isn't ideal then).
By law, you get one day off work for each donation if you're employed (some government agencies or departments even give two days) 👍
I also heard rumors about a lifetime MTA pass after 50 donations, and from what I gather, around 35 donations might exempt you from certain healthcare fees for life.
It’s not a huge windfall, but it’s nice. Personally, the real satisfaction comes from knowing how many lives you've helped save. 😁

If I missed anything, feel free to add it. GOOD LUCK!!!

Well. Looks like I check all the boxes: blood pressure is sitting at 117/75, I'm carrying a bit too much weight, average height... and I guess I pretty much meet every other requirement on that questionnaire. Might be suffering from a chronic case of laziness, though... which isn't exactly the best timing for a college senior! Huge thanks for the info, Raymond James! I'm heading out the day after my history final

Melissa Rivera5 said:Well. I guess I qualify: blood pressure is 117/75, carrying extra weight, average height, and checking off almost every box on that questionnaire. Seems I’m suffering from chronic laziness... bad timing for a high school senior. Thanks for the info, Raymond James! Heading out the day after my history final.

Oh, and you'll need to be of legal age, too, I assume.🤣

Yeah, I totally am!!! And it's already been like six months! I mean, I doubt there should be any issues, but knowing my luck... lol

Raymond James said:if you're a woman (just make sure you aren't on your period—they won't take you then, since the blood isn't exactly ideal at that time).

And what exactly is wrong with my blood while I'm bleeding?😢
(Teach me something, oh wise one...)

Grace Rodriguez10 said:What’s actually wrong with my blood when I'm bleeding out? 😢
(educate me, since I clearly know nothing)

I'm no medical expert—but I suspect it has to do with iron levels dropping sharply during that time. All I know is that some of my colleagues were turned away from donating because they were "too liquid." 😁

Iron levels can be low. If you don't have enough iron, you simply can't donate blood. 🙂

Edward Green The user said:Iron levels can be low. If you don't have enough iron, you just can't donate blood... 🙂

Sure, but that’s what the pre-donation screening is for. Honestly, blood samples taken during a period should be perfectly fine... though I suppose it isn't exactly ideal for a woman to lose that much blood all in one day...

This has nothing to do with anything sexual, but I'm looking into blood donation stuff. Does anyone happen to know—or have a link explaining—what exactly the CCee phenotype means?

I don't know if anyone here actually knows about this, but I was reading somewhere about some bizarrely rare blood type... apparently there are only a handful of people with it. It’s supposedly not even A, B, AB, or O, but something like F or H or whatever. Does anyone know anything about that? Like, how would that even be possible?

Melissa Rivera5 said:I’m not sure if anyone here knows about this, but I was reading somewhere that there’s this incredibly rare blood type—apparently only a handful of people actually have it. It’s not even A, B, AB, or O, but something like F or H or whatever. Does anyone know anything about that? How is that even possible?

Nah, that's not what I meant. I'm O+, it just says my phenotype is CCee. Look, I get the basic concept of phenotypes versus genotypes, but I honestly have no clue what those specific markers actually represent or what they're used for. Just asking out of pure curiosity.

Ugh, I seriously just heard this ridiculous nonsense about how gay people aren't allowed to donate blood. I remember back in school, this doctor told us that straight up. When I asked her why, she just claimed they were some "high-risk group"... Like, really? Isn't risk actually about how often someone switches partners or how safe their sex life is? What does gender even have to do with it?? It’s got absolutely nothing to do with it, man!!! 😕 😕 😕

Hannah Clark51 said:Ugh... I remember hearing this ridiculous nonsense back in school about how gay people aren't allowed to donate blood. There was this doctor who came to speak to us, and she claimed they were just a "high-risk group." Really? Since when does risk depend on gender rather than how often someone switches partners or practices safe sex? It’s completely nonsensical! Gender has absolutely nothing to do with it. 😕 😕 😕

Look, as much as I consider myself a liberal and open-minded person regarding LGBTQ+ rights... I can't help but feel there's a connection here. It seems to me that gay men might constitute a higher-risk group—or at least a riskier one compared to heterosexuals—and when it comes to blood donation, it's better to minimize risk whenever possible.

Based on my own personal observations, having met quite a few gay men over the years, I get the impression that there is a greater tendency toward promiscuous behavior, and honestly, it feels like there are very few truly monogamous individuals in that community.

The real question is why the ban is permanent. Why can't it be a temporary deferral, like a three-month waiting period? This same logic should apply to all the other groups mentioned, such as former drug users or anyone who has had sexual encounters with sex workers....

(I haven't managed to read every single post yet, so please forgive me if I've repeated something already 🙂)

This is actually the first time I've ever heard anything about this.