How can I change the FDA?

I honestly don't know how to go about changing this, but I do agree that it needs to be changed. I think that anyone who is STD/HIV free should be able to donate, I mean, I know straight men who wear protection less often than many men I know in the gay community.

If you find anything out about this, let me know, I'm interested in knowing what you find.

YES it's a cause worth fighting for. The fact that the FDA has this regulation is both offensive and ignorant. To target gay men as the only people who can't give blood because of a risk of having HIV is pathetic, especially considering all of the blood is tested anyway.

More likely than not, you can probably contact national LGBTQ organizations (GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, etc.) and ask what you can do in your local area to spread awareness and start fighting back. Also, see if they're doing anything that you can take part in. They should be able to give you some information.

As for getting around it, the only thing you can do for now is lie, really.

Of direction. Even with out this today's file within the information, the scientific use of marijuana is good headquartered--and the FDA is meant to make its selections centered on technological know-how, no longer the ideological prejudices of a precise management ofr curiosity organization. Not that I'm naive adequate to suppose the FDA at the present time has any curiosity in technological know-how--jsut in kowtowing to the drug corporations and the devout proper.

This is an issue currently on my campus. They are trying to ban blood drives on campus on the basis that since gay men can't donate blood it violates our University anti discrimination policy on the basis of sexual orientation.

Now..I also happen to be one of those people who would work at a blood bank and test blood. I also happen to be very GLBT friendly, and a trans person myself.

There's a lot of legal red tape into why this policy is in effect. There's other things behind the scenes in the lab that a lot of people don't know about. Blood banking and crossmatching blood is a complicated process, and NO blood product is EVER 100% guaranteed to be safe. We do the very best we can and we have the safest blood products in the world, but there's always that risk.

The reason that risk is there, is because many of the tests used on blood donations are serology and immunology tests. They are based on agglutination tests formed from antigen/antibody complexes. If you have recently acquired a disease, your immune system may not have had time to make a detectable amount of antibodies to the disease yet. If you donate blood, you're still likely to have the disease, but it won't be detected.

This is why stringest protocols are in place for blood donations. Yes..they DO test ALL blood products. BUT..that testing takes time and money. And we all know how the government works. They want to save money. So by elimating a "high risk" group from donating blood, it saves money on having to run confirmatory testing on samples that may screen positive.

Yes the policy is outdated, and I agree it should be changed, since the highest rate of HIV infection right now is among African-American women between 16-28. They still donate blood.

But fighting the FDA is hard. Trust me, scientific researchers have been doing it for years on more than just blood donations. They've been fighting them in regards to stem stell research, cloning, ect. Anything that may cause an ethical dilemma amongst society.

You'll need to get the current resident of the White House who makes these appointments out of there, and make sure the person who replaces him is not a member of the same political party as the current resident.

Then, make sure the new resident of the White House appoints someone who can impose a more reasonable and non-discriminatory regulation concerning blood donation.

Perhaps an on-line petition with names of all the people who can not give blood then forward the list to all lawmakers. Just keep in mind you will be dealing with Democrats and Republicans so change could be a far fetched idea.

From what I can gather the FDA are a bunch of idiots who care less about the health of the public and more about the size of their back pockets. They probably will not change their policy, they're government controlled and we all know how the US government feel about homosexuality...

I don't know how you go about doing it, but I'm sure the website would have some info for you, secondly yes I think it's a wonderful cause...FIGHT!!! Godd luck

If they don't want your blood then its there loss. It is going to be hard to force them to take your donation.

i think you should be able to donate blood, your blood isnt contaminated unless you have an std

this should be changed, it is rally ruthless and their is no scientific proof.

it should be changed fight for it!