FDA Recommends Lifting Lifetime Ban On Gay Men Donating Blood

While I don't have a single friend who hasn't had sex in the last year, the hand in policy is a step in the right direction. I used to give blood religiously when I was young but under the proposed guidelines, I would not be able to:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's administration on Tuesday recommended ending the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood, although sexually active gay men will still face hurdles as donors.The new recommendations are contained in draft guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration. The public will have 60 days to comment on the policy, and the FDA will later issue final rules.Men who have had sex with other men, even just once, have been banned from giving blood since 1985, near the start of the AIDS epidemic. As The New York Times has noted, “Restrictions on donors were written when H.I.V. testing was slower and less refined. Today, some tests can detect the virus in blood as little as nine days after infection.”For years, gay rights advocates have blasted the rule as discriminatory and pushed for a change.

Cue right wing head explosions.

via FDA Recommends Lifting Lifetime Ban On Gay Men Donating Blood.