FDA Blood Donor Restrictions

So we have a new issue we are trying to shed some light on, and organize around. Many of you may already know this and I am sure many of you will not, but since the 70's the FDA has made it illegal for any blood bank i.e. Red Cross to accept blood from homosexual men by asking the question: Since 1977 have you ever slept with a man who ever ,even once slept with another man. A simple google search and a few phone calls leads to uncovering what is a very shallow attempt at justifying discrimination. The guidelines were put in place as a reaction to the AIDS epidemic in amerika, and is rooted in the idea that AIDS is a gay disease. This guideline has been kept in place every year since, and we believe it is time to change this. The rationale used by the FDA to justify putting this guideline in place, and keeping it in place fails a simple and quick examination. They claim that the gay male population is the hardest hit, which is actually false, nearly half (48%) of the people living with AIDS in amerika are African Americans; this group also has the highest rate of newly effected people. There are no restrictions on other "at risk groups" such as men and women who have multiple partners, straight couples that engage in anal intercourse; it is worth noting that this act is the actual risk factor whether or not the couple is hetero or homosexual. With the current technology and testing capabilities the chances that HIV infected blood enters into circulation is negligible and the chances that that comes from a gay man is even smaller. The time has come to remove all discriminatory laws and regulations, and we believe removing this restriction is moving in that direction. We will be putting on shows, discussions and brainstorming sessions with the community around how we move forward with this. Please contribute your opinions and ideas to the conversation. More info to come. Peace Peace