SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Recent changes by the Federal Food and Drug Administration will now allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood on an individual basis.
The Blood Bank of Delmarva said this action follows statistics from Canada and the United Kingdom that say this is safe.
"Things like the stringent testing that occurs in the labratory with our medical technologist, that is still going to take place. They're going to test for things like HIV, Hepatitis, and Syphilis to ensure the safety of the blood supply." said Tony Prado with the Blood Bank of Delmarva.
Now that gay and bisexual men are able to donate , Wesley Combs with CAMP Rehoboth said it will end centuries worth of discrimination, "Gay men, bisexual men, or others who have sex with men want to be able to contribute to and give back to society like everybody else."
But Combs said there is more to be done, "This is an important step forward that the FDA has changed this policy but there are still restrictions that will exist for those based on the available technology to test and screen blood supply for other pathogens."
People like Jeffery Allen who lives in Bridgeville, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020 and said he relied greatly on blood donations, "I needed platelets, I needed blood, I needed transfusions on a regular basis."
However he is now in remission, Allen cannot donate blood since he had bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy, " 'how can I help? What can I do?' So if you're not comfortable giving blood, think about organizing a blood drive."
The Blood Bank of Delmarva does start its Blood for a Brew campaign this week to encourage donations at various local breweries. The first stop of this tour will be at Revelation Beer Garden at Hudson Fields on Thursday from 5 to 8pm. More information on that can be found here.
