Kody Kinsley participated in blood donation when he was still in high school because he was so committed to increasing the US blood supply.
Kinsley, who is currently the secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, will, nevertheless, be permitted to give blood for the first time as an adult on Monday.
Red Cross Adapts Blood Donation Rules for Equality
Although some of the restrictions have been relaxed, the US Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for nearly 40 years prohibited the majority of gay men from giving blood, even if they personally presented no harm to the blood supply.
Starting on Monday, the Red Cross will utilize a more inclusive risk-based individual evaluation to decide if someone is eligible to give blood, regardless of their sexual orientation.
The Red Cross supplies around 40% of the blood and blood components in the US.
When the US surgeon general believed that 70% of those with HIV were gay or bisexual men, the policy was developed at the beginning of the AIDS crisis.
Blood could be tested for HIV antibodies at the time, but the technique wasn’t accurate and couldn’t detect all HIV infections.
Although blood banks improved their ability to test gay and bisexual men for HIV over time, the FDA policy remained the same.
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FDA’s Blood Donation Update
It assessed people for who they were rather than excluding them based on risky behavior. Gay and bisexual males who had intercourse with other men were first permanently prohibited from donating.
The restriction was somewhat relaxed throughout time, but most gay men were still not allowed to donate.
On May 11, the FDA’s recommendations largely caught up with the science. Risk is evaluated based more on conduct than orientation.
Even with the amendment, some gay men will still be barred, but the FDA hailed the shift as a huge victory for the organization and the LGBTQI+ community.
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