American Red Cross goes woke, celebrates allowing more gay men to donate blood, wants donors to 'self-identify' their gender

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has relaxed even further the restrictions placed on gay men who want to donate blood, and it seems that the American Red Cross couldn't be happier.

The ARC, in cooperation with its LGBTQ+ Team Member Resource Group, issued a statement celebrating the FDA's decision. "The Red Cross celebrates the elimination of blood donation policies that are based on sexual orientation and also recognizes there is more work to be done to make blood donation more inclusive," the statement said in part.

The blood donation process is now "more inclusive" because men who have sex with other men — abbreviated in FDA documents as MSM — may be eligible to donate, so long as they have remained monogamous for the past three months. Women who have sex with MSM must satisfy similar stipulations. "All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months, would be deferred to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection who may be in the window period for detection of HIV by nucleic acid testing," the FDA explained.

Though the FDA statement implies that some homosexual behaviors carry increased risk for HIV infection, many supposed health experts have implied that previous bans on blood donations from MSM were the result of anti-gay bigotry. Several years ago, Perry N. Halkitis, the dean of the School of Public Health at Rutgers University, claimed that the ban on MSM was "rooted in homophobia," a contention that seems to be supported by the ARC: "The Red Cross also recognizes the hurt this [previous] policy has caused and that these are just the first steps in repairing relationships with the broader LGBTQ+ community." Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, likewise claimed that the FDA's decision "will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community."

The FDA and the ARC both insisted that the new, relaxed measures will not pose a risk to public health, and the FDA promised to continue evaluating the safety of donated blood after the measures are put in place. "All patients should feel comfortable and trust that the blood they receive is safe," the ARC claimed.

But the ARC has perhaps already belied its reputation as a trustworthy organization offering emergency medical services rooted in experience and scientific experimentation. For some time now, the ARC has been asking prospective blood donors to "self-identify" their gender since, the group claimed, "there is difference between biological sex and gender." Therefore, in accordance with FDA recommendations, gender must "be self-identified and self-reported" by the donors themselves, the ARC said.

"Our employees and volunteers are trained to be sensitive to the needs of all potential blood donors," the ARC claimed.

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