Gay former councilman of Cincinnati city, Chris Seelbach donates blood after ban lift!
At last, there has been a change in law in the USA regarding blood donation. Now, gay and bisexual men can donate blood with no cluses or restrictions. And the openly gay former Cincinnati City Councilman, Chris Seelbach was elated. He was one of the many gay people who donated blood at the Hoxworth Blood Center after 40 years of ban.
Gay councilman, Chris Seelbach donates blood
It was a time for celebration for gay men such as former Cincinnati city councilman, Chris Seelbach, 44. They at last have the freedom to donate blood. Chris wanted to do so since his teenage years. But he was not allowed to do so because of his gay sexuality. However, now after the 40 years ban was lifted, Chris donated blood at the Hoxworth Blood Center. He was the first openly gay council member of that city.
Chris donated a pint of blood on 11 January 2024. He told National Enquirer:
“It started with me seeing their (Hoxworth’s mobile blood drive) vans with the sign that said, ‘All types welcome,’ and knowing that I wasn’t welcome just because I’m gay,”
He added:
“I know that I’ve been a little bit of a thorn in their side for years, and I knew it was never their fault. But I wanted to donate, so when it changed I was like, ‘I’m going to actually do this.'”
The US FDA ban and its lifting
It was in 1985 that the US FDA barred gay people from blood donation. This happened during the time that the AIDS epidemic crisis was at its peak and a large number of gay men suffered from it. In order to curtail the spread of the disease, the US FDA decided to put a ban on blood donation from the gay community.
The gay community accepted the ban but they were not happy with it. They lobbied to have the ban lifted. There were several improvements in blood screening technology but the ban continued to be in place. Later, the FDA made a few changes and stated that gay people can donate blood provided they abstain from sex for at least three months prior to the blood donation. And in May 2023, the US FDA set no restrictions on gay men to donate blood. They completely lifted the ban.
Hoxworth Blood Center also implemented the new changed rule on blood donation by gay men. They did so on 4 December 2023 and Chris donated a month later when he came to know of it and was able to do so.
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Hoxworth Blood Center: its role in the law change
Hoxworth Blood Center which is the sole blood and blood products provider in Cincinnati had also made great efforts to persuade the government and FDA to lift the ban. And after the ban was lifted, the center spent nearly seven months to update their donor questionnaires and operating procedures, and also to retrain its staff. This was to ensure a smooth changeover from the old to the new practice where gay people were included. Jackie Marschall, the center’s public information officer said:
“For years, we’ve been advocating for updated FDA guidelines,”
“We’re so excited to implement this new donor health questionnaire that allows a lot more people to come and donate.”
The new questionnaire asks about the chosen gender of the donor and also whether they have any new sexual partner or have multiple partners. It also asks about anal intercourse, if any. If the answer is positive, they are told to wait before donating blood.
