Thousands of people lined up to donate blood in response to a gunman killing 49 people and wounding another 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. However, many LGBT folk who wanted to donate blood were faced with a 33-year-old firewall – LGBT Americans are banned from donating blood. Jay Franzone is using a loophole in the ban to help out his community by staying abstinent for one year.
Why Is There A Gay Ban In The First Place?
Donated blood needs to be screened and properly processed. Banning the LGBT community from donating blood is not founded by science, it’s founded on stereotypes and prejudice. In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, there were not only misconceptions about the disease, there was also no reliable test for the virus, which inadvertently justified blanket bans enacted by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
However, improvements in testing have substantially reduced the risks of transmitting diseases via blood transfusions. Blood shortages like the one experienced in Orlando are, unfortunately, very common. Opponents of this unfair policy point out that denying healthy donors like Jay Franzone will only exacerbate the problem.
Who Is Jay Franzone?
Jay Franzone is a political communications major at Lasell College who dedicates his spare time as a spokesperson for the National Gay Blood Drive. He has a boyfriend who supports his endeavor. Franzone remarks that he isn’t doing this for self-gratification. Instead, he’s doing it to spotlight this archaic policy.
Will The Gay Ban Be Lifted?
More than 100 members of Congress are pushing to change policies surrounding the blood ban. These members are pushing for the FDA to stop grouping people by sexual orientation, and instead focus more on personal risk factors. This personalized approach of vetting donors will not compromise screening processes, while allowing access to a population that is more than eager to help prevent blood shortages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcsTmNLg3co
Featured Image Via Screengrab
