Hahn Calls For End To Discrimination Of Gay Men As Blood Donors

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday called on the FDA to reverse its discriminatory blood donor policy and allow gay and bisexual men to give blood in the midst of a pandemic-driven blood shortage.

The pandemic and its resulting blood drive cancellations and staffing limitations have contributed to a 10 percent decline in the number of people donating blood, and a 62 percent drop in blood drives at schools and colleges, according to the American Red Cross.

Hahn, who represents Manhattan Beach and other South Bay cities and communities in the 4th District, introduced the motion, which was co-authored with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. They directed a 5-signature letter to be sent to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock urging the reversal of restrictions that prevent sexually active gay and bisexual men from becoming blood donors.

“These outdated restrictions aren’t just discriminatory – they’re actively endangering the lives of people in need of blood,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “As we face the worst blood shortage we’ve seen in a decade, we have an easy way to increase our blood supply while putting an end to a homophobic policy that targets people for who they are and who they love.”

“It is really counter-productive, senseless and discriminatory to prevent healthy and willing gay men from donating blood when we most need it,” Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said.

“According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, changing this policy could result in the donation of more than 600,000 additional pints of blood. Let’s put an end to homophobia and help replenish our national blood supply," Kuehl said.

The current blood donor policy requires gay or bisexual men to abstain from sex for a minimum of three months before they can donate blood. The roots of the discriminatory policy date back to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, in an era when HIV was poorly understood by scientists and doctors.

In 1985, the FDA established a lifetime ban on donations by men who have sex with men. In 2015, the lifetime ban was changed to include anyone who had sex with men in the last 12 months. In April 2020, 12 months was reduced to 3 months.

For years, the American Medical Association has been calling on the FDA to remove this discriminatory ban and treat all potential blood donors equally. Today, every unit of blood is rigorously tested to detect any trace of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, West Nile virus or other blood-borne diseases.

A movement to end this discriminatory blood donor policy is gaining momentum during the nation's blood shortage crisis.

Members of the House Oversight Committee wrote a letter on January 13 to the FDA asking for “immediate action.”

On January 18, the Biden administration voiced commitment to ensuring that the blood donor policy “is based on science, not fiction or stigma.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, added to calls for change saying the current policy is “outdated” and “does not reflect the state of the science.”