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Wrong Response To Being Called A Ginger:

The Hole Got Fixed said

AppleScruffJunior said

Our dear friend @The Hole Got Fixed is actually a ginger! It’s good to have representation on the forum.

  

I

Am

Not

A

Ginger

 

God do you even have eyes

 

No offence to gingers out there… but my hair is brown

Right Response To Being Called A Ginger: 

“Golly gee! What a wonderful compliment, but oops I’m actually just an average joe with b o r i n g brown hair– but boy do I wish I was a ginger!!! Such beautiful flaming red hair– so rare, so exquisite, but only in my dreams alas “

**This PSA was made by Rita’s Foundation for the Advancement of Redheaded Forumpudlians**

My #1 movie musical crush = Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago 

Today I learned that in 1983, the FDA fully banned “men who have sex with men” (aka gay and bisexual members of the male sex, also called MSM) from donating blood in reaction to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Their reasoning was that they were worried that the virus would get into the overall blood supply (which I guess was reasonable at the time). In 2015, 32 years later after the ban was put into place, the FDA lifted the lifetime ban. However, in order to donate blood, sexually active gay and bisexual men had to defer from any sexual activity for a year before their intended donation (which, err, I’m sorry but that sounds really wack to me– but more on that later). This 12-month-of-no-sex policy was finally amended very recently this year because of the current pandemic– the American Red Cross announced that it had a severe blood shortage since blood drives were canceled due to social distancing policy. Thus, on April 3, the FDA changed their policies on “men who have sex with men” donating blood, shortening the 12-month period of no sex requirement down to requiring gay/bi men to abstain from sexual activity for 3 months (which is better I guess in theory but like still very wack.) 

I think these policies are discriminatory and just outright illogical. There are so many gay/bi men out there who are healthy, ready, willing to donate blood in this time of crisis, but can’t because they may have been sexually active recently. Even if they are in a proven monogamous relationship and both of them have been tested negative for HIV/AIDS recently, they still are banned from donating blood unless they have deferred from sex.

HIV/AIDS prevention has made terrific strides since the 80’s. Testing has become way more accurate and thus the wait time is unnecessary because modern HIV testing can detect the virus within 9 days of infection. Also, the majority of gay men take preventative drugs like PrEP or Desovy, which is more than 99% effective in preventing HIV transmission! Aaaannnnddddd all blood transfusions test for HIV before they are used anyways! This policy put into place by the FDA just generates so much unnecessary stigma around gay/bi men! It’s just so mind-bogglingly unfair, not to mention dehumanizing! Not to mention– HIV/AIDS isn’t something that only gay/bi men can get– any member of the human race can get infected, including heterosexual people (though it is true that gay/bi men are more at risk, however as said before there are so many preventative measures taken today that such a fact is not entirely applicable). Scientists specializing in HIV/AIDS, as well as other health fields themselves, have repeatedly stated to the FDA that their ban is not based on any modern medicinal concern or reason and that it’s just a policy based on outdated medicine and stigma and stereotypes. I do believe that screening for HIV/AIDS risk is essential and important, however, I believe that MSM shouldn’t be targeted like they are today, especially to such an extent as to require them to abstain from sexual activity, even if such is monogamous. Advocates have also noted that straight men who are frequently sexually active with multiple partners are just as at risk as any sexually active gay man. 

And America isn’t the only country with such a discriminatory ban– the UK had a 12-year deferral window until 2017, where they changed it to a 3-month deferral window, whereas Northern Ireland still enforces a 12-year deferral window. 

In conclusion, I just really want my government to focus purely on scientific and medical reasoning, data, and evidence so that more people can receive blood in their time of need. There’s a significant blood shortage right now, and changing the ban in the States from 12-year deferral to a 3-month deferral for MSM doesn’t change that much at all in the grand scheme of things. Why prevent healthy and willing individuals from donated blood just based on the fact that they happen to be gay? Even if they are undoubtedly proven multiple times to have tested negative for any HIV/AIDS?  

(There’s a lot of other information on the topic, which can be found here)