Friday, July 11, the second annual nationwide National Gay Blood Drive (NGBD) will take place to raise public awareness and increase pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change its policy on the long-standing ban on blood donation by men who have had sex with other men (MSM) – a restriction that has been in place since 1983.
New this year, supporters who are ineligible to donate blood are being encouraged by NGBD organizers to bring a friend (surrogate) to donate in their place. The number of donations will be documented by NGBD organizers and sent to the FDA, Health and Human Services, and the White House in an effort to illustrate the additional units of blood that could be added to the nation’s blood supply if the ban on MSM blood donations were changed.
In San Diego the drive is being led by Peter Kalivas, artistic director of the PGK Project and the drive location is the San Diego Blood Bank, Carmel Valley Donor Center, 3880 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 209 & 210, San Diego, CA 92130, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
This grassroots effort to create change cannot happen without YOU! http://gayblooddrive.com
Sign and share the White House Petition: http://wh.gov/lF3SJ
