Blog 4/18/23
In late January 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed changes to their guidance on who can give blood. Historically, their rules have discriminated against members of the LGBTQ+ community. As promised, Equitas Health gave feedback to the FDA in a public comment.
We reminded the FDA that their blood donation bans have mainly targeted men who have sex with men (MSM). This includes gay, bisexual, queer, pansexual, and questioning men among others. We also shared that these bans misgender people. This has had a negative impact on transgender women, trans-feminine people, and other gender expansive people who were assigned male at birth (AMAB).
Groups, like the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power! (ACT UP!) and others, have argued that the FDA’s blood donation policy is unfair for decades. While the proposed rules are a step in the right direction, we believe there is still more work to do.
Here is what would happen if the FDA’s new rule goes into effect:
The FDA should use science to make these rules, not stigma. Equitas Health supports an approach that is more gender-inclusive and based on individual risk.
Here are the ways that the FDA should go further with changes to this policy:
While the FDA expects their proposed changes to boost the national blood supply, we urge them to enact a more culturally humble policy. Given the need for blood during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we advocate for a policy that will:
But of course, we must continue to demand a policy that does not stigmatize LGBTQ+ people, PrEP/PEP users, and people living with HIV.
To read the full text of our recommendations to the FDA, please click here.
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