The current federal policy dates back to 1983, the beginning of the U.S. North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley is urging the FDA to ease its restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood. In June 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a statement calling on the FDA to change the policy, stating that "The lifetime ban on blood donation for men who have sex with men is discriminatory and not based on sound science. DHHS to FDA: End discriminatory policy against gay men donating blood. Gay couple Oscar and Xavier say they feel 'proud' about donating blood for the very first time in the UK. There are false reports circulating that FDA rules were being lifted. The gay men who can donate blood in the UK for the first timeClose. In a 12:48 PM Tweet, Orlando's OneBlood denied those rumors were true:Īll FDA guidelines remain in effect for blood donation. Rumors on social media suggested that the FDA rules against gay/bi men making blood donations had been lifted today. The ban on gay men donating blood is nothing short of fear-driven homophobia disguised as public health policy Huge awful irony: gay men can't give blood after Orlando's gay night club shooting because of the "Gay Blood Ban." The ban is keeping gay men from helping their friends and family who may have been victims of today's attack, which occurred during LGBT Pride Month. Some advocates hope the harsh reality in Orlando that gay men can’t donate blood to support those suffering from one of the worst attacks on LGBT people in American history will push. The ban began in 1983, yet President Obama’s administration has made only very slow changes to the rule, including allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood if they have been celibate for one year. Yet gay people can't give blood to help their own. Orlando Hospitals need blood donations to help save gay people. Gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland, and Wales can now donate blood, plasma and platelets under certain circumstances, the National Health Service announced this week in a. By the early afternoon on June 12, hours after a gunman slaughtered 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, hundreds of sympathizers had lined up to donate blood to the 53 young men and women who. Yet many are expressing anger over the federal government's continuing ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. "The line to donate blood in #orlando today But fairer practices could help save over a million people a year without the risk of spreading HIV. Thousands of Florida residents formed long lines around blood centers in Orlando, Florida after an urgent call for donations in the wake of the worst mass shooting in US history. Gay and bisexual men face a time-based ban on giving blood.