Ban on blood donations from gay men urged to be dropped by Democrat lawmakers after Orlando shooting

As it stands, gay and bisexual men cannot donate blood for 12 month after they have had sex

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On this World Blood Donor Day, congressional Democrats are pushing for the removal of a decades-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

The immediate aftermath of the massacre in Orlando that claimed the lives of 49 LGBTQ people at the Pulse nightclub exposed the discrepancy in how blood donations are regulated in the US.

During the 1980s AIDS crisis, the Food and Drug Administration indefinitely banned blood donations from gay and bisexual men to protect against transmitting the immunodeficiency virus that was significantly impacting the population. The imposed rule prohibited men from donating blood for 12 months after they had sex with other men.

But after the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 and wounded 53 more, hundreds of people lined up to give blood - only gay and bisexual men were barred from donating to their community that was now suffering.

“We find it unacceptable that gay and bisexual men are banned from donating desperately needed blood in response to this tragedy,” Democrats led by Illinois representative Mike Quigley, vice chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, said in a statement.

However, the FDA said that it did not have enough scientific evidence to support the removal of the ban.

Along with Mr Quigley, Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren, Wisconsin Sen Tammy Baldwin, and California Representative Barbara Lee co-signed the statement.

The lawmakers called the ruled “outdated” and “discriminatory”, adding that it assumes that all gay and bisexual donors pose a risk regardless of their behaviour.

“This revision does not go far enough in ending an outdated policy that is medically and scientifically unwarranted and that perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes,” the lawmakers added.

The FDA say it will re-evaluate its policies as more scientific information becomes available, but they say they have enough blood in stock for the time being.

“We empathize with those who might wish to donate,” they wrote, “but reiterate that at this time no one who needs blood is doing without it.”