Andy Cohen has spoken out against “antiquated and discriminatory” rules barring men from donating blood if they’ve had sex with another man over a given period of time.
The host explained on his show Watch What Happens Live that after recovering from Covid-19, he was interested in donating plasma, since his antibodies could help others affected by the disease.
However, Cohen said he was denied the chance to donate due to Food and Drugs Adminisatration (FDA) regulations regarding certain LGBT+ donors.
In the US, guidelines published by the FDA currently recommend that donations be deferred “for three months from the most recent sexual contact” for ”a man who has had sex with another man during the past three months”.
The same applies for ”a female who has had sex during the past three months with a man who has had sex with another man in the past three months”.
“After recovering from the coronavirus, I wanted to see if there was something I could do to help people who were infected,” Cohen said.
“I signed up for a program for Covid-19 survivors where you could donate plasma which is rich in antibodies to those still battling the virus.
“I was told that due to antiquated and discriminatory guidelines by the FDA to prevent HIV, I am ineligible to donate blood because I’m a gay man.”
He added: “This virus is ravaging our planet. The FDA says there’s an urgent need for plasma from survivors. All donated blood is screened for HIV and a rapid HIV test can be done in 20 minutes or less. So why the three-month rule? Why are members from my community being excluded from helping out when so many people are sick and dying?
“Maybe because we’re valuing stigma over science? I don’t know. My blood could save a life, but instead, it’s over here boiling.
“This pandemic has forced us to adapt in many ways. We’re quarantining, we’re social-distancing, we’re wearing masks. Why can’t we adapt when it comes to this rule?
“It is bad enough that quarantine has us wondering what day it is – I’m sitting here wondering what year it is.
“We need to think about this and do better.”
The Independent has contacted the FDA for comment.
