People hug as they stand together during a memorial service at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the victims of the Pulse gay nightclub shooting, June 13, 2016, Orlando, Florida. (Photo : Getty Images)
Out of hundreds of people who lined up to donate blood for the Orlando shooting victims, one group was specifically not allowed to commit the act. This group of people comprised of gay or bisexual men.
According to the blood donation guidelines posted on official blog of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, bisexual or gay men who have had a sexual contact with another man in the last 12 months are not allowed to donate blood.
The guidelines and the official ban have caused an outrage among some members of the gay community who believe that they are being stopped from helping their LGBT "brothers and sisters," CNN reported. The LGBT community members were specifically targeted in shooting at the Pulse nightclub.
On June 12, Sunday, 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire in the gay bar. The worst mass shooting in the history of the US killed forty nine people and left over 50 injured. Following the attack, the OneBlood donation center put up a notice immediately, calling out for blood donors to help hospitals where the victims were being transferred in critical condition.
While more than 5,300 people were able to donate blood on the day of the shooting itself, sexually active bisexual and gay men were not allowed to participate. Many hit back at the authorities stating that living in the US is like living in a country where it is legal to buy rifles and guns, but not legal for the gay and bisexuals to come forward to help the victims of the massacre.
There have been conflicting reports stating that the ban has been lifted temporarily, at least that is what Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan believes.
"They lifted the ban on gay men giving blood yesterday," Sheehan told the publication. "They've been able to test for HIV in the blood system for years, and this is what it took to allow gay men to finally be able to give blood. And they lined up. There were 1,500 people in line yesterday,"
However, the OneBlood donation center later said that the FDA guidelines, still hold true and the gay and bisexual men are still barred from donating blood. They can donate blood, provided that they have not had sex with another man in the last 12 months.
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