End the Outdated, Discriminatory Ban on Blood

This past Tuesday, in Washington D.C., a 21 year old man named Jay Franzone donated blood. On the surface, this act seems common, almost routine, especially as we observe National Blood Donor Month. Americans donate blood every day—on high school and college campuses during blood drives, in workplaces after a coworker falls ill, and in hospitals as loved ones prepare for surgery. What makes this scenario unique is the fact that Jay is gay, or as a blood bank would classify him, MSM—a man who has sex with men. And because of this, he is required to abstain from sex for 12 months in order to qualify as a healthy blood donor.