Last week in Gary, Illinois (no, not Indiana) about 30 miles south of Chicago, a self proclaimed effeminate straight man and resident of Gary, Aaron Pace, walked into Bio-Blood Components Inc. to donate blood. He says that he was “humiliated and embarrassed” when the blood bank turned him away because they thought he might be a homosexual. Pace says, “It’s not right that homeless people can give blood but homosexuals can’t. And I’m not even a homosexual.”
Possibly just metrosexual?
Gawker reports: “It’s not clear how Pace’s “looks, character, and behavior” made him “appear” homosexual, given that a., no one from Bio-Blood Components Inc… is discussing the matter with The News; and b., no official, definitive “homosexual” code of looks, character, and behavior exists.”
The Chicago Sun Times reports that “no one at Bio-Blood returned calls seeking comment, but donation centers like it, and even the American Red Cross, are still citing a nearly 30-year-old federal policy to turn away gay men from donating.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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So, yes. The law that states that men who have had sex — even once — with another man since 1977 are not allowed to donate blood is homophobic and ridiculous. But we’re still stuck on the whole he “appears-to-be-homosexual” thing. I’m sorry, but child, please. That has got to be against some kind of law, right?
When we called Bio-Blood Components Inc. in Gary (at 219-932-6388) the receptionist said that they “are not allowed to give any information about that.” So we called their corporate office (at 901-384-6200) and have been waiting for President Larry Moss to call us back…
Still waiting. But not holding our breath.
Image via
ewe
Being a straight man who is denied from donating blood IS NOT THE ISSUE.
Kev C
The issue is homophobia and discrimination. Homophobia includes the fear that someone may be homosexual. And discrimination, because what they did was against the law.
Abirdwillingtobeitself
I’m guessing the clinic judged him for his very slim build.
TanyaHyde
Until I saw the young man’s photo, I assumed the article was about Marcus Bachmann….
Hyhybt
“Swishy” does not mean you’re gay, and gay does not mean you’ve ever had sex with another man, nor does straight mean you haven’t. (Nor, of course, does having had sex mean you have HIV, but that’s a bit of a different question.)
There is not a ban on “swishy” people donating blood. There is not even a ban on gay people donating; I do it semi-regularly, without breaking any rules, at the local Southern Baptist church, arriving there in my car with a rainbow sticker on the trunk, and nobody says a thing, because none of those things mean I’ve had sex. That’s left to the questionnaire. And while I’m sure some people lie on that, it’s nobody’s job to *assume* donors are lying.
(And it always feels weird donating blood. Nothing inherent about the process; it’s just that, because of that rule, it’s essentially stating my lack of activity for anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see.)
On the other hand, it’s best to be a bit distrustful of this sort of article. Just as with schools and employers, anyone is free to *say* they were treated unfairly, but the business is in many cases not free to give their side, whether the charge is true or not, because of privacy rules. I mean, suppose for a moment that they turn someone (not necessarily this guy) down because, say, he was using Proprecia. This person takes offense, or perhaps has a grudge against someone at the site, or whatever reason you like, and goes to the media with a story similar to this article. What can they do? They can’t tell what really happened, because confidentiality rules prohibit it.
I’m most emphatically NOT saying this is what happened here! Only that it’s something to keep in mind whenever this sort of story turns up, including tales of people being fired, children mistreated by teachers, etc.
Matthew
@ewe: No, but it is certainly important to know that staff members have turned away “gay” looking individuals from donating blood. It can be incorporated into our criticism and political action.
AFruit4Thought
Am I missing something? I can only find a Bio-Blood Components, Inc. in Indiana. Some of the links point to Indiana, too. Queerty is the only one saying it’s Illinois. Just trying to find out who to bother about this.
jcknck
I love how it takes a straight guy (mistaken for a gay guy) being refused to give blood in order for the story of blood inequality to make news.
jason
Where is the mainstream media on the obvious discrimination shown against gay and bisexual men by the Blood Bank? It’s been incredibly silent. I want to know why the mainstream media has failed to address this issue to any great depth.
Jay
It is Gary, Indiana, there is no Gary, Illinois
Whylderyder
Well, according to google, there IS a Gary, Illinois….in Cook County? Try looking it up again.
Jay
I live 10 minutes from Gary, In and 20 minutes from Cook County, IL and know for a fact there is no Gary, IL. However there is a Cary, IL. I Think they confused the two
Meowzer
Since the government and blood agencies are using 30 year old standards, how does the gay community get that changes.
This has been a giant thorn in my side for a long time. The company I work for routinely holds blood drives and gives away prizes as incentives to get employees to donate. Being openly gay in life and at work, everyone knows I cannot donate. I have complained that this policy is discriminatory, but it has fallen on deaf ears. I work in a city that does not allow discrimination in employment, housing, etc. and work for a company that supposedly preaches the same, yet this practice continues. I have enrolled to be a blood donor and entered the contests, but I have been continuously refused donation and surprise, surprise have never won a contest. When I threatened to take this to a higher authority within the company, the rules suddenly changed. The prizes are now sponsored by the blood donation center and they say they can exclude me because the federal government has blocked gay men from donating blood.
So, the question is….HOW DO WE GET THIS TO STOP? Who is fighting for gay men to have the right to donate blood? HRC, GLAAD?
I have made a conscious decision, known to my partner and all my family, that if I ever need blood, do not give it to me. I seriously would rather die than take blood. If I’m not good enough to donate it, then why should I take it?
Does anyone know how the gay community can combat this discrimination?
Ok… off my soapbox.
Hyhybt
@Meowzer: Well… yes, the rule is more restrictive than it needs to be, but it’s at least simple, and they do exclude other large groups, like anyone who’s spent much time in Africa or England, regardless of their actual health too. And *eventually* someone will catch HIV from a transfusion no matter what precautions are taken; I think there was a case a few months ago, the first in ages. If the rule is changed (and it ought to be) because of political pressure, then the next time that happens, no matter what the actual source, it *will* be widely blamed on gay men.
That just leaves two ways I can see that the change might occur: either demand for blood greatly exceeds the supply, forcing them to reconsider what limits are truly necessary, or else the statistics change to the point where gay men are no more likely at all than anyone else to carry HIV.
A great increase in either the demand for blood or the incidence of HIV in the non-gay-male population is hardly desirable, so that only leaves either convincing people who *can* donate not to do so (also, to my mind, not desirable, because for it to happen enough to be effective it would have to mean that blood sometimes isn’t available when it’s needed, potentially killing people) or reducing the incidence of HIV in gay men (which everyone knows how to do, but too many think it’s no fun.)
If you have any better ideas, please share.
Chris
@Hyhybt: Someone got HIV from an organ transplant recently.