Column: Discrimination keeps gay, bisexual men from giving blood

In an effort to grapple with Hawaii’s critical blood shortage, state lawmakers are considering income tax credits to encourage more island donors (“Hawaii’s blood shortage triggers tax incentive bill for donors,” Star-Advertiser, Feb 2). This is good news. But gay and bisexual men need not apply.

It’s shocking that in 2022, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (known as “MSM” in health care terminology) are not allowed to donate blood, even if they are in a monogamous relationship or married to their same-sex partner. The blanket restriction was put in place during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early ’90s as a public health measure to protect the nation’s blood supply from the most high-risk groups. The policy was justifiable at the time — 30 years ago. It’s not anymore.

Advances in disease screening and blood safety technology help ensure our blood supply is among the safest in the world. Every donated unit of blood undergoes a rigorous series of tests to detect any possible presence of HIV and other bloodborne diseases. Homosexual donors do not pose any significantly greater risk today than other eligible donors.

Shamefully, national guidelines have not kept pace. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration lifted, arguably, the lifetime ban on gay blood, but only if the would-be donor abstained from sexual activity for the previous 12 months. More recently, the FDA has relaxed this celibacy requirement in response to the nation’s rapidly-depleting blood supply during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, instead of waiting one year from the date of last sexual contact, MSM must only abstain for three months before they are eligible to donate blood. This change does not go far enough.

(The Blood Bank of Hawaii has not updated its donor eligibility criteria to be in line with current national guidance and continues to impose the 12-month ban.)

Blanket restrictions based solely on sexual orientation are medically unnecessary and discriminatory. Donor eligibility should be grounded in risk-based science, not fear-based speculation and outdated assumptions. Turning away MSM blood donors does not make our blood supply meaningfully safer, but instead stigmatizes the LGBTQ+ community as vectors of disease, unworthy of answering the call to help in a moment of crisis. This endangers all people in Hawaii by undermining crucial efforts to address our blood shortage as we grapple with one of the most significant health emergencies in history.

LGBTQ+ discrimination in health care affects everyone and has no place in the Aloha State. So, what can be done about it?

First, our state Legislature just took a big step in the right direction by establishing the Equality Caucus in recent weeks, with the mission of investigating and addressing ongoing issues of inequality and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people living in Hawaii.

Second, we urge Hawaii’s congressional leaders to join their colleagues and the medical community (including organizations such as the Red Cross and American Medical Association) in calling on the FDA to lift discriminatory blanket restrictions in favor of a science-based approach to determining donor eligibility. The FDA says it’s currently studying the issue but has not set a decision date.

Third, the state urgently needs blood donors now. Please consider donating if you can — and especially on behalf of those who what to but aren’t allowed.

Jacob Schafer is a Hawaii-based epidemiologist and director of infection control; Michael Golojuch, Jr. is an LGBTQIA+ activist and chairman of the Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; neither is allowed to donate blood.