Should gay men be allowed to donate blood to Red Cross?

In principle, I have always believed as you do, anyone should be able to donate blood, as long as they have been deemed safe by scientific testing. Their being gay, straight, tall, short, white, yellow, black, male, female, etc., has absolutely nothing to do with their blood being fit or safe for donation.

In my country (the Philippines), gay people are also discriminated against to give blood. If people wish to die than be "tainted" with a "gay perspon's blood", screw them!

Looking at some of these answers, I don't think that everyone fully understands the selection process. In the UK, and I suspect USA is the same, they will not take blood from a man who has had penetrative sex (anal or oral) with another man. The main reason for this is AIDS. The AIDS virus cannot always be detected if the carrier is in the early stages, but the virus can still be passed on in blood products, this is why testing all samples is not 100% effective. If a bi or gay man is not, and never has been, sexually active with other men, then he can still donate. The link below will explain the UK situation in more detail. Hope this helps.

Unfortunately in the United States, gay men are not allowed to donate blood or plasma. I find this unfortunate because of the very low blood levels that the American Red Cross and other blood drives are having.

I had donated blood while I was in the military, and then I tried again after I got out of the military and they had me fill out this form and I had to answer that yes I had had sex with a male. This disqualified me for donation and I find that is wrong because they have to test ALL blood that is donated prior to being able to use it.

They are under the discrimination that gay men have AIDS and that is stereotyping that all gay men have AIDS. Not all gay men have AIDS, in fact, there are just as many straight people that have contracted the virus as there is gay men that have contracted the virus. The AIDS virus was not started or only subject to those that have gay sex. It is not a carrier within the male that in order for a female to get AIDS they have to have had sex with a male that has had sex with another male.

For these agencies to continue thier discrimination should be outright illegal and federal funding for such organizations that continue to hold these religious beliefs as thier basis for donation when many gay men and women would love to be able to help save someone's life should be forbidden. Our tax dollars are better spent elsewhere if they are not willing to allow gay men and women to donate, especially if they are actually testing all the blood and plasma that is donated to them!

Unfortunately no test can prove that blood is completely safe. At least 4 patients in the US have been infected by HIV from transfusion after the implementation of the most sensitive nucleic acid tests in 2001. The Red Cross detects about 200 HIV infected donors each year, most of whom did not think they could be infected, and many of whom admit that they failed to tell the truth on their questionnaires.

Would you want to recieve blood donated by someone who admits that they lie?

Yes I do. Straight people who have sex without protection are at risk for the HIV virus as well. Barring gay men who have had sex without protection from donating is discrimination.

I'm Gay, and i donate blood and i get a full blood diagnostic. and physical for free just for donating.

Everybody should be allowed, as long as they have been tested for any blood-diseases.

Its ridiculous that one of their ?'s is have you had sex with another man since 1985 or whatever it says.

I'm ddeceasefree and I lie on the questionnaire and give blood often. Its not like they don't test it anyway.

My "gay" blood will save someones life !!!!!

whether they want it to or not!!! muah hahaha

Just answered your other similar question. Here is the link that fully explains the situation in the UK.

Hope it helps

Yes...

anyone who is disease free should be allowed to donate!

there is such a blood shortage as it is...