Why Shouldn't I Be Able to Donate Blood?

This is something that has bothered me for quite some time. I'm surprised that I haven't written about it before. [With my memory, maybe I should check!] Why can't I donate blood? Or the more appropriate question: Why don't the Red Cross and other blood banks accept blood donations from gay men (or men who have had sex with men, even once, since 1977)? My next question: Why the hell was 1977 the cut-off? :)

I was raised watching my mom consistently donate blood and being sad when she was turned away for a low iron count, etc. I donated blood during high school and college. Heck, I even sold plasma during college. It's sad, with blood banks seemingly always reporting low levels of emergency blood, and me with my valuable O- blood-type, that I would be turned away.

This editorial here is wonderful. Please take the time to read it.

So why can't I donate now? Because I'm an honest person. Even though I know that the Red Cross will screen my blood, I won't lie about who I am. It's time for their policy to change.