'It is really counter-productive, senseless and discriminatory to prevent healthy and willing gay men from donating blood when we most need it,' Kuehl said in a press release. Kuehl argues a change in policy could result in donation of more than 600,000 additional pints of blood, citing a study from UCLA's Williams Institute. 'As we face the worst blood shortage we’ve seen in a decade, we have an easy way to increase our blood supply while putting an end to a homophobic policy that targets people for who they are and who they love.'Īccording to the Board of Supervisors, the current blood donor policy requires gay or bisexual men to abstain from sex for a minimum of three months before they can donate blood. The ruling dates back to the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s. 'These outdated restrictions aren’t just discriminatory – they’re actively endangering the lives of people in need of blood,' Hahn said in a press release. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter.
