England, Wales and Scotland have decided to partially lift their ban on gay blood this November 7th by allowing gay men to give blood as long as they have not had sex for a full calendar year before their donation.
Health officials say that the waiting time will allow HIV and Hep B to be detectable in the blood. For some reason, these same officials aren’t worried about Hep B and HIV in straight people’s blood because straight people don’t ever catch those diseases… and if they do they’re less deadly… or something.
So basically their new policy excludes most monogamous gay and bisexual donors as well as gay men who have safe-sex while allowing any straight poon hound to give blood whenever he wants. Nice
UK gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said, “Although the new policy is a big improvement on the existing? discriminatory rules, a 12 month ban is still excessive and unjustified. Most gay and bisexual men do not have HIV and will never have HIV.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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That’s the understatement of the month.
ewe
Inequality. Today is September 8, 2011. Does anyone know whether or not the Bummer has evolved yet?
jimstoic
So, basically, if you want a guaranteed way to get laid, wait outside a blood-collection van in a gay neighborhood in the UK.
pedro
The sad reality is gay men are still contracting HIV at a disproportionate rate when measured against the general population. It’s just good public policy to limit the blood contributions of MSM. Notice that lesbos are not banned and that’s because they are at very low risk of contracting the disease. Blame a slutty subculture that celebrates promiscuity and barebacking, not the experts whose job is to look at hard statistics and make decisions regardless of whose feelings gets hurt.
Josh
this is so insulting!
Matt D.
@ewe: If you’re going to keep mouthing off about Obama, could you at least write something new each time? Parenthetically, I’d be curious to know what “the Bummer” has to do with the blood donation policy in the UK.
Robert in NYC
As insulting as this is, what are we in the U.S. doing about it exactly? NOTHING!
ewe
@Matt D.: STFU Matt D. My statement is new. It is bullshitters like you who don’t want anyone to think about it. You asshole. Fuck off. I am not your god damn doormat and it you want to remain discriminated against then lick his hanging balls on your own.
ewe
@Matt D.: There is nothing new to write about the Bummer. That is the whole fucking point Moron.
ewe
@Matt D.: You pathetic piece of garbage would rather attack me then those responsible for saying your blood in not the same as heterosexuals. You are a stupid fuck. That is all that can be said. Notice you didn’t even touch on the fucking topic at hand you damaged pawn. The fact that there are fucking tests to detect HIV goes completely over your head asshole.
James
Ugh. Sometimes our country is no better than America in these matters.
Little Kiwi
you gotta love how EWE takes ever opportunity to slander Obama.
we get it, dude. your bigoted parents passed their racism onto you. congrats. go insult Lady Gaga while you’re at it, maybe it’ll make your dad tolerate you more 😉
Matt N
@ewe: You really need to calm down. You are, indeed, the one who was off topic. You can’t complain about someone else being off topic, when they are replying to your comment. A reply is in response to your comment, not the article. If your only comment is that Obama still has not come out more strongly for lgbt rights since he said that we should have them, guess what, -we all know that.- Really, no reason to keep reminding us. Cheers
Oh Rly
HIV can be a very serious problem in the community, you are not just practicing safe sex, but death control as well. This is a great step in the right direction, anybody for LGBT rights should take it as a victory. All I’m trying to say is, don’t hang off the negative, but don’t stop fighting either.
David
All people should be allowed to donate blood, however anyone who donates blood should need to have been celibate for 6 weeks. This is so the HIV test can be at its most accurate, and accounts for both hetero or non heterosexual people contracting HIV. Also side note: Obama should not have even been mentioned. In terms of pro-LGBT legislature, at least he worked towards the removal of DADT, and he has stopped federal defense of DOMA. The blood collection policy is that of the Red Cross, not the Federal Government. They are a separate entity and if he got involved in that there would be major political repercussions due to a Socialist, or even Communist attitude of changing a businesses policies.
Katt
I just have one question… HOW THE HELL CAN THEY TELL IF I HAD SEX IN A YEAR???
That’s just the stupidest thing I ever heard! For one they test all the blood donated anyway. Secondly you can’t always tell someone is guy just by looking at them. These laws and policies are STUPID!!!!!!
ewe
@Little Kiwi: yo mama this yo daddy that yo sista here yo brotha there. Go back to canada. Your fruit has rotted.
ewe
@Matt N: If you think Obama is a non issue then i have nothing further to comment to you. Cheers to you too.
ewe
@Oh Rly: It is blatant discrimination against homosexual people. These fools making light of it on this thread have their head in the clouds or up Martha Stewarts ass.
damon459
Wow ewe tell us how you really feel lol.
ewe
@damon459: You mean you don’t do that when you comment?
Aaron
I’ll be keeping my blood to myself as it was offensive enough when we werent allowed.
Ill also be retracting my organ donar status, I couldnt possibly allow some poor person to wake up with my heart and the gay. It just wouldnt do.
Michael
@Robert in NYC:
The Red Cross collect all blood donations in Australia and I have had long conversations with them because they will not take my blood. A monogamous relationship of 20 years .. how much blood are they missing out on each day ?!!!
Steve
Gay men in the UK can give blood, no matter how often they have sex. Just don’t tell them you are gay when you go to give blood. It’s easy enough. *You* know your blood is okay, so you are still “saving a life”, as they say. And gay people need blood transfusions too…
Michael
*rolls eyes* Giving blood can help save someones life I can not even begin to understand how stupid people can be to think that a gay man giving blood is NOT a good thing.All they are doing is trying to give blood in order to save another human beings life and this is supposed to be a eww icky poo moment just because the person giving the blood is GAY?Ugh this country is full of morons.