Jeremiah doesn't like that the Red Cross won't take blood from gay men or people with tattoos, so he's calling for a boycott on blood donations until it changes the policy. He doesn't discuss what would happen if people took him up on it and he showed up at the hospital after, say, a bad car accident.
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By eeka
Fri, 08/19/2005 - 11:05am
I discussed this in my blog about a month ago:
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com/2005/07/red-cross-...
We also discussed it on Postqueer:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/postqueer/339...
It's not just gay men; it's any male who's had sex with a male since 1977, or anyone who's had sex with a male who's had sex with a male since 1977. They're basing it on a very broad demographic rather than actual risk factors. In my blog, I give examples of people who are and aren't allowed by their guidelines.
Not giving blood is not the answer though. The people who have been in accidents or are critically ill are not the ones discriminating against queers. If you've tested negative for HIV and other bloodborne pathogens, then you don't need to tell them about your "risk" factors.
Then write to them urging them to actually use scientific facts in choosing whose blood to take.
You can still donate if you
By Aqua
Sat, 08/20/2005 - 5:35pm
You can still donate if you have a tattoo.. [url=http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_5... Cross Donation Guidelines[/url]
But definitely [url=https://www.redcross.org/contactus/otherbiomedform... them about their guidelines...[/url]