I read an artical today about a blood bank turning away a man who seemed gay. How do you feel about that, do you think what they did was right? That they were protecting people? Or that it was wrong and discriminatory?

Don't the still have to test the blood? So I mean, why do such an awful thing, when he could have perfectly good blood to save someone's life, they didn't even give him a change, soley because her ..appeared.. gay. It's awful I think.

I think it is wrong and discrimination of course how do people know that other people that are gay unless the guy told the blood bank that he was. And plus I guess people just don't like others who are gay no matter if they are female or male. Sure they should had tested his blood to make sure he doesn't have any kind of disease like AIDs. But turning someone away that is gay is wrong. People are just living in the stone age when it comes to this kind of issue. Like Marriages and stuff.

I think it is wrong and discriminatory. They test the blood now for AIDS and every other disease. And regular people can get those too.
This is why I refuse to give blood, I will not consider it until they stop turning away openly gay people from performing a charitable act of giving some of their blood to help people.

I read about that. The concept itself is absolutely appalling, of course, but on top of that, he wasn't even gay, and I think that needs more emphasis. He SEEMED gay, and that was their basis for turning him down. I agree that people are stuck in the stone age, even though there has been so much progress where gay/different people are concerned. I think it's absolutely wrong.

That just makes it worse. The person was turned back because they seemed gay when they were just straight and acted a certain way. What did this moron have "gaydar"? If they think they do, they need to have it taken to the shop to be destroyed. Either way, it's wrong to deny someone who has perfectly good blood to donate solely because the person who told them no is a complete moron living in the stone age who is a homophobe. This entire country needs to get their heads out of their butts and realise that they're not evil or spawns of satan.

This has been going on for years so I'm not surprised to hear about it. I do think it's stupid though because, as people have already said, things like AIDS can be passed to anyone regardless of sexual orientation.

Its just how things are now theses days people still don't believe gay people shouldn't be here...I mean we can't send everyone to an island or something. I am bi and my parents don't even know that I am because they are just like everyone else that don't like gay people.

That's what I'm saying! They just ASSUMED he was gay by the way he acted and/or dressed and he wasn't even gay!? What the hell is wrong with people. Yes, you would think that were more advanced than that and that people had moved past things like those, considering they still had to test the blood anyway, accepting him shouldn't have been an issue in the least. People are horrible.

Humanity causes pain to itself, this is just another case of this point. Profileing is wrong no matter what, just because a person seemed gay doesn't mean they were gay; and so what if they were gay? Homosexuality has no wrong to it, they just believe that it is wrong for some reason that I cannot fathom.

The Human Race needs to get past these trival, often stupid, things.

It's because some stupid people don't want "gay people's blood" and would fight it with all their might =.= if you're that disgusted with gay people's blood go for bloodless surgeries... they're more possible now

/minirant

Basically if they deny they for that it's illogical and completely disrespectful...

That's not right. I have a friend, who when he tried to give blood and they would not let him. He went and told everyone that it was because he was gay. I am too and they let me give blood all the time. The reason they wont let him is because he sleeps around with every guy in town. He is full of STD's. When he tried to sue the blood bank he was laughed at in court. I think he got what was coming to him.

My friend was turned down to give blood because he was gay. He was so upset, it was unbearable to hear it from him. He didn't have any std's or aids, so there was no reason why he shouldn't have been able to... But all they do is assume, and I think it's disgusting that they do so. I think when filling out the paper work, or something, he was given the option to mark his sexual orientation - and that was the mistake. It was just a trap to automatically turn someone down.

If they turned down this guy just because they thought he gave off the impression, that's really terrible. I don't know what the world's coming to anymore. :/

I find it rather ironic that they will turn down a gay man who has been with their spouse for 30+ years just because they are gay, but won't turn down a female who has had sex with, say, 20 partners in the past year just because she's straight.

It pisses me off to no end.

I agree, that's wrong and discriminatory. They do have blood testing, and being gay doesn't make you any more likely to have stds than anyone else >.>

It seems to me they look for any reason not to have to work. When I was in high school I tried to donate blood, but was turned away because I had been to Mexico two whole years prior to that and *could* have had milaria(sp?). I'm no doctor, but I'm prreettty sure we would have noticed by then if I had Milaria. The next time I tried to donate blood I couldn't because you have to weigh 110 pounds apparently and I'm a small girl who only weighs 100 pounds, on a heavy week... They say they need blood, but find any reason to turn someone down.

I never understood why blood banks would do that. Does being gay affect your blood? Does it warp your bloods ability to succussfully save a life? I just don't get it.

Although the weight thing I do understand. This basically sums it up well right here-
Click

I find that pretty low for the people working the blood bank. Blood is blood it doesn't have anything to do with your sexuality. This person could have given good blood to someone in need or this person could of had a blood type only few people have and when they need it most it's not there because they turned down someone who looked homosexual? The tolerance to this is none. They should get into trouble for doing something like that. Just because someone looks like they have a different sexual preference doesn't mean nothing to blood.

Originally Posted by Krissy

I find it rather ironic that they will turn down a gay man who has been with their spouse for 30+ years just because they are gay, but won't turn down a female who has had sex with, say, 20 partners in the past year just because she's straight.

It pisses me off to no end.

Pretty much this.

STIs don't know sexual orientation and don't care if someone is gay or not. They should just stick to making sure blood is clean and safe to use rather than hating on someone based on sexuality. For those who have a problem with "gay blood" maybe they deserve to die rather than getting blood that has nothing wrong with it. I don't have sympathy for ignorant bigots. Sorry, but discrimination based on sexual orientation is just as bad as being racist. It's ignorant and there is no reason for it.

The world is unfair. Everyone suffers against some kind of discrimination... but there needs to be limits. If I were bleeding to death, I wouldn't care who a life-saving transfusion would come from. A lot of this is based on fear and misinformation from the eighties when AIDS was known as GRID (gay-related immune deficiency). When most of the regulations involving who is and is not able to donate blood were written it was thought that only gay people had, or could contract the HIV virus. It will take a lot of work to get these archaic regulations lifted, but it can be done. The biggest hurdle to jump is that most of the doctors and bureaucrats who are in charge of these things will have to die off.

I moved this on over to the Critical Thinking subforum, as I think it's more appropriate there.

That's just crazy. You'd think they'd want willing blood donors! Honestly, they have to test the blood anyway, and guess what, amazingly, heterosexuals can have STDs and AIDS and any number of other issues that would make their blood undesirable, the same as homosexuals.

I'm bisexual and I can't donate my blood because it's Rh positive (it's not a disease, it just means my red blood cells have a particular antigen on their surface that is "highly immunizing," which means incompatibility with the donee's blood would cause serious health issues). My mom's heterosexual and has the same issue. Oh gosh, our ability to donate blood is not related to sexuality. Should be the same for any other blood-related issue.

Also, for those bigots out there who wouldn't want "gay blood" in their systems, how would you ever even know?

It's horrible enough that people are still so stupid as to waste a perfectly good opportunity to get the blood they need based on a ridiculous assumption that could easily be proven untrue... but did you say they denied him because he SEEMED gay to them? As in, they didn't even know for a fact?

I know why they do it, but I still think it's wrong.

They're worried about H.I.V. which is more common among homosexual people, but frankly, they do test all the blood anyway. They have to. Or at least they're supposed to. It shouldn't lead to this kind of prejudice.

I have a gay friend at school, and we had a blood drive. They turned him away, because he had had anal sex. That's literally what was on the form. I found it stupid. And really really annoying.

I'm bi and my parents are some what prejudice against gays and bis and lesbians, and they're always telling me that I'm lying to myself. It's their personal choice to not be accepting of it, and to always reject it and tell me I'm wrong for it. However, we still get along fine, and we have different religious views as well.

I agree that it's prejudice, and discriminating and wrong, however we've made great strives recently, New York recently began to allow gay marriage and lesbian marriage. That's like, an amazing step forward! This is like the women's rights, it's taking us years to do, (hell we're still working on it in my opinion), but we're getting it done. To anyone keeping anything secret from your family, tell them. It may be awkward at first hell for years or something, but it's better to get it out. Then again, that's my opinion/advice so whatever.

They don't want my blood because im gay? Well good! Cause i dont wanna give it to them!