Comment by upright left — May 24, 2007 @ 5:52 pm

What do you mean? There are a lot of questions asked of potential blood donors. If we didn’t trust their answers we would never have a blood supply at all.

Again, you are assuming this can be trusted.

Tooodles………..

****Expand your reading circle, Zoooette. Randy Shilts, a gay San Franciscan who later died of AIDS, wrote a telling book, “And the Band Played On”. *WARNING* – - Your assignment of a “gay-victim-bubble” might burst.

With your one-sided approach to information gathering, I’ve concluded that you’re not quite as brilliant as you try to convince us you are……

Tooodles…….

Get over it!

I became sexually active at the age of 17 (1992). My girlfriend was on the pill, and we used a foam spermicide as well. We never used condoms. I was a regular blood donor from age 18 to 20 (1993 to 1995). In late 1995, I had my first sexual experience with a man, came out of the closet, and finally started enjoying life. The next time I went to donate blood, when the “have you had sex with a man since 1977″ question was asked, I lied. My risk was very low–until that time, only unprotected oral and protected insertive (top) anal. That was the last time I gave blood though, because I was too uncomfortable with having to lie.

Now it has been over ten years since I last donated blood. No HIV infection, no Hepatitis, no nothing. I haven’t always practiced safer sex–my former partner and I of six years stopped using condoms after a year–but still I’m totally healthy. That’s lots of blood that has never been donated because of “the ban.”

My ex-partner (referred to above) has never stopped donating blood. He lies every time, and has no fear or guilt over it, because of his belief that the rule is ignorant, discriminatory, and out of touch with reality. And as far as we know, no agency or recipient has declined to accept his blood.

So here’s my question…How many others (straight, gay, bi, what ever) do you think are out there who have lied about anything on the interview form?

How difficult is it to just say, “Nope, I’ve never been paid for sex.” (I’ve been “tipped” once, but that’s a whole other story! hehe)

Or “Nope, I’ve never had sex with a man.” Or “Nope, never used injected drugs.”

Or how about that mostly-straight swinger who inadvertantly received oral sex from a guy during an orgy with another heterosexual couple? Does he count as having had sex with a man since 1977?

Am I starting to sound ridiculous? If I sound ridiculous, that’s good, because ‘ridiculous’ is the most befitting description of this “ban.” If the blood supply from ALL donors, of ALL race, color, creed, orientation, health and socio-economic backgrounds isn’t properly and thoroughly screened for everything potentially harmful to its recipients, then we should all just accept the notion that the blood supply is fundamentally, inherently and persistently, unsafe.

With all the playas parading their sex lives in public and the straight characters on tv making jokes about promiscuity, a lot of people have trouble believing monogamous relationships exist among heterosexuals.

Comment by guest — May 24, 2007 @ 9:40 am

Now I ask you this (and I apologize if it’s already been asked, as I skipped over most of the insecure michael’s ramblings)
If in a life threatening situation where you needed blood, would you choose the gay man whose been monogomous for 10 years, practices safe sex, and has been tested and HIV free for years?
OR
Do you choose the heterosexual swinger, whose had numerous, unprotected sexual encounters, with many different partners over the last few years, including one night stands, prostitutes, and orgies?
Oh, and has not been “tested” in the last five years, but still carries a registered blood donor card.
Points to ponder, eh?

This country sucks!

No the answer is found in this statement:
…a gay man who’s been in a fully monogamous relationship for 10 years…

With all the queens parading their sex lives in public and the gay characters on tv making jokes about promiscuity, a lot of people have trouble believing monogamous relationships exist among gays.

And am I sorry that I went to bed and didn’t stay up for Zooey’s asskicking of little michael, with trueblue’s help. He just never gets it.

Comment by michael — May 24, 2007 @ 12:56 am

That, and we like to play hide the purple headed salomi after midnight in michaels vineyard!
Now come back to bed michael, ya tool, and I’ll read you Godless one more time while strategically “hiding” a Hillare’h Clinton bobble head!

“What if blood collected tests positive for a disease?
If testing indicates that a unit of blood may pose a threat, it is destroyed. The donor is appropriately disqualified. The donor is then entered into the deferred donor database and prevented from giving blood. ”

Couldn’t find any similar entry for simply answering the question. If you are actually curious, you should contact your local Red Cross Chapter or Blood Services Region. Whatever the answerm they’ll be up front about it.

(He’s stomping out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are stored.)

Does that mean that someone is keeping a list of men who answered yes that they have had sex with another man since 1977? There’s some national database?