Overview

Using FDA guidelines, the Red Cross Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines explicitely exclude men who have sex with men anytime since 1977 from donating blood. This screening process goes against the university's anti-discrimination policy and continues to label AIDS and HIV as a gay men's disease.

We All Should Have The Right to Give Life
By Jeff Manassero

Actions

• "Sponsor Blood Drive" (UC Berkeley event). The blood drive coordinators invited deferred donor students and community members to seek sponsors to give blood in their name. The event raised awareness of the policy and provided an opportunity for all individuals to participate in the unique act of giving life.
• Provide stickers to people that show the Red Cross logo and state "This should not be a symbol of discrimination." Or stickers that say "Be nice to me. I can't donate." and "Be nice to me. I don't discriminate." that are similar to the ones given out to those who are able to donate.
• Find HIV Negative gay and bi men. Get their blood types, especially if you can find some A/B RH Neg types, and ask them to send in signed letters to your local Red Cross telling them what blood they are not getting due to the ban.
• Student groups can educate the general public right outside each blood drive, telling the public of the importance of donating blood, but also giving information about the FDA ban and numbers they could call to voice concern.
• Hold an Anti-Blood Drive where those people who are excluded from giving blood because of "that question" could be counted and tallied to make the local blood collection group aware of who they were missing.
• Wear stickers that say "Hug me - I can't give blood because the Red Cross discriminates."
• Those who could give blood can be encouraged to do so and to let folks know at the blood bank (with stickers and conversation) that they were giving blood in the name of someone who could not because they were discriminated against due to the Red Cross policy.

Red Cross Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines

HIV, AIDS
Those who are at increased risk for becoming infected with HIV are not eligible to donate blood. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you are at increased risk if:

• you are a male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once;
• you have ever used a needle, even once, to take drugs or steroids that were not prescribed by a physician;
• you have taken clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia;
• you were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977 (This requirement is related to concerns about HIV Group O.)
• you have taken drugs or money in exchange for sex since 1977;
• you have ever had a positive test for HIV virus;
• you have symptoms of HIV infection including unexplained weight loss, night sweats, blue or purple spots on or under the skin, long-lasting white spots or unusual sores in your mouth, lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin that last more than a month, fever higher than 99 degrees that lasts more than 10 days, diarrhea lasting over a month, or persistent cough and shortness of breath;