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   From: obama-queers@chicago.suntimes.com   
      
   (CNN)Federal guidelines preventing men who have sex with other   
   men from donating blood for clinical trials to treat coronavirus   
   patients are discriminatory, LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD said.   
      
   A petition, nearing 20,000 signatures, calls for an end to the   
   "antiquated ban" for donating blood, the media advocacy   
   organization for people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual,   
   transgender and/or queer said.   
      
   The blood donation policy according to the FDA's guidelines, is   
   an attempt to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.   
      
   "The FDA cannot let an outdated and discriminatory ban on blood   
   donations from gay and bi men get in the way of potentially life-   
   saving treatment for the country's painful current health   
   crisis," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.   
   "Continuing to enforce this antiquated policy is dangerous,   
   irresponsible, and flies in the face of recommendations from   
   medical experts."   
      
   An FDA spokesperson, acknowledging the decline in blood and   
   plasma donations across the US, told CNN, "At this time, FDA's   
   recommendations regarding blood donor deferral for men who have   
   sex with men have not changed, but we are actively considering   
   the situation as the outbreak progresses."   
      
   The FDA said last week that it was expediting blood plasma   
   treatment for those seriously ill with coronavirus, and New York   
   Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state is pursuing trials of the   
   treatment as well.   
      
   The process, known as plasma-derived therapy or "convalescent   
   plasma," involves doctors testing the plasma of people who   
   recovered for antibodies to the virus and then injecting that   
   plasma, or a derivative of it, into the sick person.   
      
   "There are so many gay men in [New York] who have clean blood   
   that we are ready to give," a 28-year-old man told CNN.   
      
   There is no such thing as "clean" gay blood.   
      
   https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/health/plasma-coronavirus-   
   donation-fda-men-glaad/index.html   
        
      
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