Blood

No, this isn't a post on the vampire craze.

I was painfully reminded today when reading my news feeds that I am not allowed to give blood. I gave blood earlier in my life (until I knew I'd have to answer yes to the question that would rule me out). There is absolutely nothing wrong with my blood, and blood banks are always running on the edge of being out of blood.

The FDA created the "MSM" rule back in 1983 at the time that AIDS started to be an outbreak and it was determined that blood was a carrier. And sure, in 1983, no one knew anything about AIDS except that people were getting it from transfusions, and that it was showing up in many gay men at the time, and the FDA did what they thought was right at the time to reduce the risk.

It is 2010. We don't have a cure for AIDS or HIV, but we now know for sure that's not a "gay cancer", that anyone can behave in a risky manner and can get it. So, to put this in perspective...a heterosexual male can have sex with a different woman every single day, and none of the questions on the blood donation pre-screen would turn him away from donating. We are, for all intents and purposes, relying SOLELY on the blood tests that test each donation and keep the blood supply clean. And that works fine. There's already another question on there that asks if you've had sex with someone who has or may have HIV or AIDS, certainly seems like that sufficiently covers "risky behavior".

The FDA changed the rule a few years ago - I was excited thinking I might get to donate again - but the change was from "any man who has had sex with a man since 1977" to "any man who has had sex with a man in the past year". So, apparently as long as you haven't been gay for a year, it's now ok (?)

Yes, I get that some of this is a numbers and statistics thing. But it's also a political thing, and it shouldn't be - it should be a scientific and medical thing. And it's 2010. And my blood is fine. And I could be donating 8 pints a year. But no one will take it.