“The public health emergency related to COVID-19 is shedding light on many of the already existing inequities in our healthcare system. Discrimination based on someone's sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong under normal circumstances," says Adrian Carver, executive director of Equality New Mexico. “But to turn people who want to help respond to a public health crisis because of antiquated and biased rules that have no scientific basis is cruel. While the FDA recently made small movement on blood donation discrimination, we need to push further.”

It is critical that deferral be based on information that is within the personal knowledge and control of the prospective donor—and not on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the donor, the sexual orientation, gender identity, or activities of one’s sexual partners, or on perceived monogamy. By focusing on the activities that present an unacceptable degree of risk (e.g., receptive anal sex without a condom), the need to identify the gender of the donor or the gender of the donor’s sexual partner is eliminated. A policy focused on the prospective donor’s activity, rather than identity, will not only be safer but rational.

We invite you to join us in calling for an end to this discriminatory practice. All signatory and organization names, along with zip codes will be shared with our congressional delegation to indicate our support for their continuing work on this issue.