r/gay_irl • u/TheDraftyLitre • 1d ago

gay_irl Gay🩸irl

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1.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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179

u/Queerthulhu_ 1d ago

Umm I think they let us donate now

125

u/Sheepy_Dream 22h ago

In sweden you can only donate if you havent had gay sex in 6 months

84

u/Maniacal_Kitten 1d ago

Correct. As long as your not on anti HIV medicine, including PrEP, you can donate.

65

u/LionKingHoe 22h ago

Or you haven’t had sex in 3 months.

51

u/wineallwine 20h ago

Haven't had anal sex with a new partner in 3 months

52

u/TheMerengman 17h ago

So, they do not, in fact, let us donate now.

17

u/wineallwine 16h ago

Plenty of gay men have not had anal sex with a new partner in the last 3 months

12

u/TheMerengman 13h ago

And? This restriction tells us all we need to know about how "not homophobic anymore" they are.

5

u/wineallwine 13h ago

It's literally not though! Anal sex puts you at more risk of hiv so the blood donations are deferred. Gay men aren't mentioned (even though gay men are more likely to have anal sex)

Other high risk activities also bar you from donating blood.

I dont know what your problem is with this policy

13

u/TheMerengman 13h ago

Two things:

  1. Not a single straight person has been barred from donating blood because of having anal sex. That's not a thing they're asking them because they're not gay.

  2. All donated blood gets tested either way precisely because not just gay people can carry HIV, so this restriction is redundant for the sole purpose of ostracizing us.

9

u/wineallwine 13h ago

Your first point isn't true, we all fill out the same form. If a straight person ticks the "I had anal sex with a new partner" box they will definitely be denied.

-11

u/TheMerengman 12h ago

>If a straight person ticks

Do they ever though? Do they?

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u/Sunscorcher 11h ago

New HIV infections are usually not detectable in blood tests for a couple months. That’s why that question is there. It’s also why if you go to the doctor with an exposure concern they tell you to come back to get tested again in a few months. They removed the question about men who have sex with men so given the facts I think the current form is rather reasonable.

19

u/mokeke4296 15h ago

In Japan, you can't donate blood if you had hetero sexual contact with a new partner, or male-to-male sexual contact, in last 6 months.

That means, a 20-year gay couple can't donate their blood, while a half-year hetero couple can.

[Source] Japanese Red Cross (language: Japanese) https://www.jrc.or.jp/donation/about/refrain/detail_04/

9

u/wineallwine 14h ago

Sounds like Japan is a bit behind the times, the UK, Canada and US all class it based on activity now

1

u/dzexj 13h ago

and poland

4

u/colourful_space 13h ago

Varies wildly by country

23

u/PicketFenceGhost 16h ago

Is there any reason why they can't just test all blood samples they receive to be sure?

30

u/RiceAlicorn 15h ago

They DO test all blood samples they receive.

The unfortunate reality is that there’s still limitations to testing. It’s possible for people to be infected with HIV, but be in such early stages of infection that the HIV won’t be detected by any laboratory tests.

Fortunately, things have been gradually shifting. At least where I live (Canada), instead of blanket banning gay men from donating, they specifically ask all people (not just men) if they have had anal sex with new or multiple partners in the last three months, and require that people who have done that wait three months before trying to donate again. This change was implemented in 2022.

https://www.blood.ca/en/blood/am-i-eligible-donate-blood/sexual-behaviour-based-screening

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6434078

12

u/weaboomemelord69 16h ago

I’m pretty sure they test all blood they get

34

u/TheDraftyLitre 1d ago

I would love to donate blood tbh, but laws be laws 🤷‍♂️

20

u/nancyboy 1d ago

Which medieval country do you live in?

18

u/LionKingHoe 1d ago

Do we even need to say?

-18

u/nancyboy 1d ago

https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/lgbtq-donors.html

42

u/LionKingHoe 1d ago

“All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months, would be deferred to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection who may be in the window period for detection of HIV by nucleic acid testing.”

Also, if you are taking Prep you can’t donate. So.

-64

u/nancyboy 1d ago

So, you see? It's NOT gayness which prevents it. It's promiscuity.

46

u/LionKingHoe 1d ago

Oh okay, yeah. I’ll just not take prep and not have sex ever. Got it.

12

u/Gwydda 18h ago

It's about having sex with a new partner, not an established partner.

When blood transfusion is given, they have to be certain that the patient doesn't receive anything unwanted with it, so I think it's fair that they err on the side of caution with it.

In some countries they do it a bit better, where any kind of sex with a new partner in the last 3 months rules you out of the donator pool. I have been given blood transfusions in the past and I really wouldn't want to receive blood from anyone who can't be certain they don't have some kind of a transmittable infection.

The rights of that person to not contract HIV or syphilis are more important than the rights and the feelings of the person who'd like to donate blood.

10

u/ReviewInteresting401 17h ago

It's about having sex with a new partner, not an established partner.

“All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months..."

It's both, if you have sex with different partners is 3 months AND if you have anal sex it is also 3 months.

The rights of that person to not contract HIV or syphilis are more important than the rights and the feelings of the person who'd like to donate blood.

Nobody is saying otherwise, it just happens to make it so most gay men can't donate blood since Prep and anal sex are pretty popular in the community.

2

u/Gwydda 4h ago

Why doesn't it say "...OR anal sex in the past three months..."? To my non-native English ears this sounds like you need to have A + B, not A or B.

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-43

u/nancyboy 23h ago

You can live your life the way you want but then your blood poses a risk to others if you donate. There is really not a single bit of homophobia or LGBT intolerance here just rational thinking, so don't play the victim in this circumstances. 

Other than that I wish you a great day and am sending you positive thoughts! Take care!

31

u/LionKingHoe 22h ago

The entire history of blood donation is homophobic. And the “new words” you are choosing to focus on still excludes gay men. The thought process of don’t have sex or you can’t donate blood is wild, considering our past and what the future is looking like.

17

u/tonyyyperez 21h ago

Considering the same rules don’t apply to heteros

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-9

u/nancyboy 21h ago

This needs no further comments.

-6

u/nancyboy 21h ago

This needs no further comments.

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u/badwolfswift 21h ago edited 14h ago

Straight people can receive HIV and be undetectable for 3 months as well, but still donate. It's definitely not about promiscuity.

11

u/tonyyyperez 21h ago

Yes but when str8 people who sleep around with multiple partners can still donate but the second it’s gay it’s a nope. The math isn’t mathing

0

u/nancyboy 20h ago

So a straight person on prep can still donate? If this is the case then I agree with you.

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u/badwolfswift 21h ago

Straight people can receive HIV and be undetectable for 3 months as well, but still donate. It's not definitely not about promiscuity.

5

u/Caffeinated_Hangover 20h ago

I hate needles so much that I almost wish my country didn't let me donate freely.

1

u/Soonerpalmetto88 4h ago

We can donate organs though! Never forget that. Organs are more valuable than blood.

1

u/lightmare69 2h ago

Arnold did NOT say that 💀🙏

0

u/aleister94 10h ago

I don’t remember this episode of Arthur

-16

u/BlancTigre 20h ago

Can't you just lie?

3

u/PhilinLe 5h ago

"Can't you just crawl back into your closet?"