Hedges and Quills

Yeah, there’s a series of videos where they question whether Helen Keller was a real person or else “faking it”. Worst of all, the argument for why she couldn’t have been real is that no deaf and blind person could “do all that” referring to her extensive education, the 12 books she wrote, world travel, and work campaigning on things like civil rights and women’s suffrage. (Sources: Guardian Article, Slate Article)

I think my least favorite commentary is from this writer on Medium saying: “Generation Z literally does not believe Helen Keller existed. And frankly, I’m having a hard time accepting that she did myself. I don’t feel bad or wrong for it … Does it stem from our own insecurities — could it be that a blind, deaf woman with more success in life than all of us is too much to grasp? Possibly.”

to hunt tiktokkers for sport

at my discretion.

A lot of times, I’ll go in and donate, and the only regular donors I see are 60+, what happens when those people from that generation die?

Not to sound like a boomer, but more young people, need to donate.

I’m 22, and I’m the youngest person in the room 99.9% of the time. I’m the youngest regular donor. It is ludacris, because I be ranking in TONS of free shit! I mean, chipotle, olive garden, dominos, cabela’s, starbucks, free movie tickets, free books from barnes and nobles. It is the fastest and most easy way i can give back to my community as well, because I work 40+ hours a week, and I go to college. I set aside one-two hours of my entire week, and bam they got enough to save multiple lives.

There’s this weird myth as well, that they dont let you if you’re pierced or tattooed, which isnt true! I’ve gone the same week, and they just ask if it was a single-use needle! Which is the standard for body mods nowadays!

Another weird myth, YES YOU CAN SMOKE WEED AND DONATE! They prefer if you wait 24-48 hours before, solely because you may be sleepy and it’s hard to differentiate between sleepy and about to pass out from low iron. But! It can be done bby!!! THC and CBD are stored in your fatty tissue and have little to no affect on your blood.

A lot of other blood “restrictions” arent even applicable/held to that standard anymore, simply for the demand rn and genuinely because testing is evolving.

You can’t donate blood if you…

identify as male and have had sexual contact with another male in the last 3 months

have taken PEP medications [Truvada (Tenofovir), Descovy (emtricitabine), Tivicay (dolutegravir) and Isentress (raltegravir)— which are given for exposure to HIV] in the last 3 months

have taken HIV treatment [also known as antiretroviral therapy (ART)] at any time

have taken money, drugs or other payment for sex in the last 3 months

have used needles to take any drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor in the last 3 months

have had sexual contact in the past 3 months with anyone described above

First-time male donors may be eligible to donate blood if they have not had sex with another man in more than 3 months. All additional blood donation eligibility criteria will apply.

For the purposes of blood donation gender is self-identified and self-reported, which is relevant to the transgender community.

That means that trans women aren’t considered MSM anymore, so they are eligible to donate blood if they meet the other requirements. Donors who were previously deferred under the prior MSM policy will be evaluated for reinstatement.

Individuals who have been deferred for MSM in the past may initiate donor reinstatement by contacting the Red Cross Donor and Client Support Center at 1-866-236-3276 if they no longer meet the criteria that made them ineligible.

The converse is true as well; gay/bi/m-spec trans men who have sex with other trans (or cis) men aren’t allowed to donate blood either unless they’ve been celibate for 3 months, even if the two men in question are in a long-term monogamous relationship with each other.

The FDA requires the Red Cross to have donors select either male or female, so non-binary people should be prepared to misgender themselves on the forms.

Eartha Kitt performing in the Broadway musical New Faces of 1952.