Equality Federation

Tell the FDA: Lift the Blood Ban!

June 21, 2016

I lived in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. It was a terrifying time full of despair, loss, and anger as we lost so many members of our community. I remember seeing the blood drive vans parked in the heart of the Castro, the city’s gay neighborhood, when gay men were turned away from donating blood to their own community in need.

It’s an outrage that this discriminatory ban is still in effect, and the recent tragedy in Orlando has served as an unfortunate catalyst to renew our push to lift it once and for all.

Please click here to petition the FDA to lift the blood ban.

Equality Federation is proud to partner with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the Progressive Change Institute, and the National Gay Blood Drive to put pressure on the FDA at this time.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are leading the effort in the Senate and Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Mike Quigley (D-IL) are leading the effort in the House.

Rep. Polis tells us, “The more people we have behind us, the stronger our hand will be as we urge the FDA to look at good science and finally lift the ban on blood donations from gay men — and screen based on behavior, not orientation.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) says, “We need blood donation policies that are based on individual risk factors, that don’t unfairly single out one group of individuals, and that allow all healthy Americans to donate.”

Sign the petition today — then please tell others.

Rebecca Isaacs

Executive Director

More You might like

Black & LGBTQ+ Organizations Mobilize in High-Stakes Supreme Court Battle

We joined The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), PrEP in Black America (PIBA), Afiya Center (Dallas), Women with a Vision (New Orleans), SisterLove (Atlanta), and BlaqOut (Kansas City, Missouri) in filing an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the Braidwood v Kennedy case on appeal in the Supreme Court in order to take a stand defending access to preventative health care nationally and to protect the Black and brown lives that will be lost should this access be overturned.

Equality Federation

March 19, 2025

Leading Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely

Last month, we hosted our New Executive Director Intensive, one of our longest-running leadership programs. For over a decade, this program has brought together Executive Directors who are new in their role to foster healthy, sustainable organizations and leadership practices. Here are inspiring takeaways we got out of this year’s intensive!

Mel and Jay

March 19, 2025

Spotlight Interview featuring Ronnie, Advocacy, Policy, & Partnerships Director at FreeState Justice

In recognition of HIV is Not a Crime Day and Maryland's recent groundbreaking progress toward HIV law reform, we sat down for a conversation with Ronnie at FreeState Justice, one of our state partners. We discuss Maryland’s historic progress, its significance in the current landscape of HIV criminalization across the United States, and the importance of Black LGBTQ+ leadership in shaping HIV justice.

Equality Federation

March 19, 2025

Browse more

A young man smiling straight at the camera

Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.

Donate