CGCC Blood Drive puts light on discrimination

Tina Ontiveros and Ryan Brusco

Column and Photos by Ryan Lawrence

There was a little devil in the details that recently hit me square in the face as we prepared for a blood drive here at Columbia Gorge Community College.

Discriminatory Food and Drug Administration policies, which are not supported by science, restrict sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

This occurs despite that all blood for transfusion is tested for evidence of certain infectious disease pathogens, such as hepatitis B and C viruses and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

I was hard-pressed to believe it, but there it was in black and white. And As President of the Associated Student Body and championing the mission of inclusivity, we needed to respond.

To demonstrate our solidarity with those who are impacted by this exclusionary rule, our CGCC community wants to acknowledge that the policy is antiquated. And, to show our exception to the rule, we are providing volunteer opportunities to support our upcoming blood drive. 

As most of you read, the writing club is planning a blood drive on January 6 in honor of one of our students, Hannah Duckwall, and her son Ezra.

 Writing Instructor Tina Ontiveros had this to say, 

“Not long after, a member of our CGCC family shared with me his feelings of helplessness because the FDA limits his ability to donate blood,” Ontiveros said. “Again, our students mobilized. Students, with support from our incredibly resourceful librarian, Tori Stanek, are crafting an educational campaign to raise awareness about this outdated rule and creating ways to make sure all members of our community can contribute to the blood drive.” 

CGCC Librarian Tori Stanek

In December of 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted a former lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men. The ban prior had prohibited any gay or bisexual man having sex with another man (MSM) from donating blood. This new policy allowed MSM to donate only if they have not been sexually active for the past year.

In April 2020, the FDA updated the policy once more. This new update allows MSM to only donate platelets if they have not been sexually active in the last three months. 

This policy is written by the single council, Blood Products Advisory Committee. 

Other countries do not discriminate, rather they screen all donors with the same health questions. Discrimination for particular groups of people just does not occur, and now the American Medical Association is advocating for the same in the United States.

There are, of course, other causes and organizations out there in support of change. The Human Rights Campaign has resources available for anyone interested in learning more about this topic.  https://www.hrc.org/resources 

While our partners at the American Red Cross are bound by these policies and we at CGCC and CCCNews cannot change these archaic policies before the blood drive, we can create awareness about the exclusionary rules, and we can stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ counterparts. 

"As a gay male I haven't always felt supported in my identity at CGCC,” said Ryan Brusco. “Watching our students create awareness about the exclusionary regulations of gay and bisexual men to donate blood makes me feel visible and seen.  Thank you, CGCC students!" 

These rules are not based on any science. A single committee has decided that this practice eliminates up to 90 percent of donors who may be carrying a blood-borne disease. That may be carrying?! 

Unacceptable.

My writing teacher Tina Ontiveros put it this way, 

“This ridiculous rule limits the public's access to much-needed blood while also reinforcing dangerous misunderstandings that marginalize people. It also negatively impacts public health for all.” 

We would like to extend an invitation to the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone else not able to donate, for whatever reason, to come out to our drive and volunteer to help. We need volunteers to help with registration, direct people to the lecture hall, and otherwise, make sure things run smoothly. 

We feel your presence at the event could only lead to good things and further awareness for our community.  

Please contact me at ryan.lawrence@student.cgcc.edu or Tori Stanek in the library at tstanek@cgcc.edu to sign up to volunteer.

More information on the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules can be found at lgbtq-donors.html  

Anyone wanting to sign up to donate blood can visit https://tinyurl.com/4kwk77dy to schedule a time between 10 am and 3 pm on January 6th, 2022.

Thank you for reading.