DALLAS — Of all the blood donated in North Texas and nationwide, not a single drop comes from gay men.
"The ban has been a sweeping stereotype of gay men," said Damian Duckett of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
He is among those calling on the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its 27-year-old ban on gay men giving blood.
For years, any male donor has had to disclose whether he has had sex with another man in a three-page questionnaire before donating. Anyone who answers "yes" to that question is banned for life as a blood donor under current FDA guidelines.
Duckett did so, and was turned away when he tried to make a donation for a friend with cancer needing a transfusion.
"As a young guy who was new to being 'out,' to have that slap in the face when you're simply trying to help your loved one was quite ridiculous," he said.
"The FDA has been actively engaged in reexamining the issue of blood donor deferral for men who have had sex with other men (MSM), taking into account the current body of scientific information," the agency said in a statement to News 8. "We are considering the possibility of pursuing alternative strategies that maintain blood safety."
Eighteen U.S. Senators are now urging the FDA to modify and modernize its policy to allow gays as donors, but no lawmaker from Texas has signed on.
Still, the American Red Cross says the shift is needed.
"We're hoping that the FDA will change their mind and look at the scientific progress we've made since their ruling," said Red Cross spokesman Cameron Ballantyne.
The Red Cross notes that it already screens blood from heterosexuals for HIV, and has done so since 1985.
Adding new donors wouldn't only be safe, the Red Cross and some senators argue, but could also prevent blood shortages the current supply often experiences.
The FDA told News 8 it would consider lifting the ban at a June meeting.
E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com
