Kansas City LGBT Activists Demand Blood Donation Equity Despite Risks

Advocacy for fairness and against discrimination is important and it's something that has garnered widespread support. 

However . . .

Most people are more hesitant when it comes to changing longstanding medical protocols which keep people safe and protect some of the most vulnerable patients.

What's important to understand about an ongoing effort by some LGBT leaders is that activists rarely offer any science or data in support of their stance . . . Most simply make a political argument that's perfectly valid in circumstances that don't actually require careful discrimination and the utmost caution.

Brief aside . . . The screening for blood donation is JUSTIFIABLY RIGOROUS and people are excluded for even the slightest danger like traveling to some foreign countries.

Meanwhile, the topic is so taboo that there hasn't been any resistance or push back as outcry has quietly advanced and altered health safety practices that have served to keep the US blood supply as the safest in the world. 

Still, in fairness here's what some activists are saying . . .

The lack of donations comes a year after CBC launched the “We All Bleed the Same” campaign, which allows donors to fill out a card addressed to the FDA asking them to take action on deferral policies affecting men who engage in sexual activity with other men, or MSM.

Vince Pugh of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City is frustrated with the federal policy and simply wants to help with the shortage.“I am O Negative,” Pugh said.

“I can be out donating saving lives, I would love to, but because of this current ban, I’d have to literally abstain for three months or have to keep track of that. So it's holding me back from saving lives and it's essentially affecting a lot of people.”

For decades, up until 2015, the FDA had placed an indefinite ban on MSM. The deferral period was then changed to 12 months. In April of 2020, it was changed to 90 days.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Blood centers push FDA to change policy for LGBTQ men amid shortage

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A push by blood centers for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reassess its deferral policy on non-straight men continues as blood supply in Kansas City saw a dramatic drop during spring break. Community Blood Center (CBC) serves 95% of the blood needs in the Greater Kansas City metro area.