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A new research initiative is seeking to find a way to overturn current FDA legislation which prohibits men who have sex with men from donating blood. Assessing Donor Variability and New Concepts in Eligibility (ADVANCE) is a pilot study being conducted by Vitalant, OneBlood and the American Red Cross, the goal of which is to evaluate possible alternatives to the current deferral policy, which requires gay and bisexual men to go without sexual contact for three months before being considered eligible to donate.
“The ADVANCE study is a first step in providing data that will help the FDA determine if a donor history questionnaire based on individual risk would be as effective as time-based deferral, in reducing the risk of HIV in the blood supply,” reads the official website.
And the dating app Tinder is asking its users to get involved. Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, has partnered with the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign to support the ADVANCE study and urge the FDA to prioritize this research. Throughout the Pride month of June, the Tinder app will be encouraging eligible users to take part in the survey.
“As the leader of a company built on the magic of human connection, it confounds me that people who desire to help those in need are held back by prejudiced policies,” wrote Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg in an op-ed for Fortune at the commencement of Pride season. “While I am not impacted by this policy personally, I firmly believe that caring people should be empowered to make a positive impact on society.”
She went on to describe the current blood donation policy as “outdated,” and pointed out that it “also risks alienating an entire generation of blood donors,” as well as preventing people in dire need of blood donations from receiving the care they need.
Tinder/HRC
“Despite the advances of the past few decades, members of the LGBTQIA+ community across our country are facing highly organized efforts to scale back their rights,” she continued. “It is time for the FDA to step up, prioritize science over stigma, and honor the hundreds of thousands of gay and bisexual men who are ready to contribute to our communities.”
LGBTQ+ people have always occupied a precarious space in the realm of healthcare, and the so-called “blood ban” is a prime example. Men who have sex with men have been effectively barred from donating blood since 1985, due to the perceived risk of spreading HIV at the height of the AIDS crisis. The ban has since been altered, most recently to the extent that gay and bisexual men can donate blood, but only following a three-month window of no sexual contact with another man.
This policy has faced widespread criticism for a number of reasons. Firstly, it ignores the progress that has been made in HIV treatment and prevention, not to mention the rigorous screening that all donated blood undergoes. It perpetuates dangerous stereotypes and social stigma surrounding gay and bisexual men, leading to further marginalization. It is also based on an assumption that gay men are a uniquely high-risk group when it comes to HIV, when there are all manner of contexts through which anybody can contract the virus.
Finally, it overlooks more than 30 years of education undertaken by activists within the LGBTQ+ community on the subject of HIV/AIDS and safer sex. At a time when the government was silent on the issue, queer people took it upon themselves to learn. There are arguably very few individuals in this country more aware of the risks of HIV transmission, and how to avoid it, than gay men.
Given the historical inaction on this topic, not to mention the stigmatization queer men are now subjected to in the wake of monkeypox panic, it is perhaps unsurprising that help is coming not from lawmakers, but from a hookup app.
Find out if you are eligible to participate in the ADVANCE study.
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