june 14th is world blood day so if you have some time to spare and some blood to give, consider checking to see if there's a blood drive happening near you! you could help to save someone's life and might also get a free t-shirt or a cookie out of it, too, which is also cool!
and while donating blood is a good thing that can save lives, let's also not forget that the FDA still has policies in place which prevent queer men from donating blood like everyone else. in the US men cannot donate blood if they have had sex with another man within the last 12 months. in other countries, queer men are banned from donating blood entirely. these are bans that are based not in science but in homophobia and outdated stigma about queer men and HIV/AIDS.
whether you donate blood on world blood day or not, please consider taking some time to learn more about discrimination in blood donation policies and write to your representatives to advocate for #bloodequality.
