News Round-Up: January 2, 2019

InstaHunk Austin Wolf

Some news items you might have missed:

• Ah, January. When everyone gets back to the gym. Now, I guess if I wanted to actually see Austin Wolf at the gym, I'd have to actually GO to the gym. There's the snag...

• Out recording artist Hayley Kiyoko shares in a new interview that she was asked to “tone down” her sexuality early on in her career.

• A 19 year-old Indian man, who donated blood unaware he was HIV+, committed suicide after learning that his blood had transmitted the HIV virus to a pregnant woman.

• Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness broke with his boyfriend, Wilco Froners, in an Instagram post that attempted to be classy but he added a #cheatersneverprosper hashtag (he later deleted). In an Instagram Story, Jonathan later retreated a bit writing, "I should’ve sat with myself a bit longer before I posted my most recent post."

• Vietnam has passed a law making it illegal to criticize the government online.

• A Massachusetts judge on Monday denied actor Kevin Spacey’s request to skip his upcoming arraignment on a felony charge he faces for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man in 2016.

• High profile make-up artist and drag queen Alexis Stone revealed a months-long 'social experiment' wherein he pretended to have botched plastic surgery wearing an extensive prosthetic mask. Hundreds trolled him online saying he'd ruined his face.

Then, on New Year's Eve, he posted the video below where he stands looking at the camera for a few moments before tearing the mask off to reveal the experiment. The second video explains his reasons for the deception.

UK Eases Rules On Blood Donations By Gay & Bisexual Men

(image via Flickr)

Restrictions on blood donations by gay men in the United Kingdom have been eased again.

In 1981, the government placed an outright ban on all blood donations by gay men as a response to the AIDS epidemic.

That policy was relaxed to allow gay men to donate blood IF they practiced sexual abstinence for 12 months.

Now, gay and bisexual men will be able to donate if they refrain from having sex for three months.

The changes in policy are directly related to the improved testing which detects HIV, syphilis or hepatitis.

Here in the U.S., gay and bisexual men have been able to donate blood since 2015 if they abstain from sex for a year. Prior to 2015, there was an outright ban in place since 1992.

(source)

FDA To Adjust Blood Donation Policy For Gay/Bisexual Men

According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration has decided to change it's decades-old policy for banning blood donations from gay or bisexual men.

The new policy will allow gay/bisexual men to donate as long as they haven't had sex with a man in the past 365 days. This would be more in line with other countries like the United Kingdom and Australia.

Activists say the change is definitely a step in the right direction, but still falls short.


From the Human Rights Campaign:

"This new policy prevents men from donating life-saving blood based solely on their sexual orientation rather than actual risk to the blood supply," said David Stacy, HRC's Government Affairs Director.

"While it's a step in the right direction toward an ideal policy that reflects the best scientific research, it still falls far short of a fully acceptable solution because it continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men. It simply cannot be justified in light of current scientific research and updated blood screening technology.

"We are committed to working towards an eventual outcome that both minimizes risk to the blood supply and treats gay and bisexual men with the respect they deserve.”

Parody: "Sad Studs"

Believe it or not, this PSA (a parody of the "Bad Blood" video) is about the FDA'a ban on gay men donating blood if they have had sex in the past year.

I paid attention, did you?

Happy Friday!

FDA Set To Recommend Adjusting Ban On Blood Donations By Gay Men

Since 1985, in response to the AIDS epidemic, gay men who have had sex with other men even once have been banned from donating blood.

Now, the FDA is set to recommend adjusting the ban to allow those who have not had sex with other men in the past year to donate blood.

It's notable, however, that many gay men would not be able to donate blood. Someone in a sexually active monogamous gay couple would still be barred from donating.

As The New York Times has noted, "Restrictions on donors were written when H.I.V. testing was slower and less refined. Today, some tests can detect the virus in blood as little as nine days after infection."

For years, gay rights advocates have blasted the rule as discriminatory and pushed for a change.

The FDA's newly proposed policy -- which has been expected since December -- would mirror the policy approach in several other countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Japan, Sweden and United Kingdom.

The American Medical Association and the Red Cross both support lifting the bans entirely.

Considering the advanced screening technology developed in the 1980s and 90s that keeps our blood supply safe today, the antiquated policy of banning gay men who could donate life-saving blood doesn't seem to make sense at all to me.

More at the Huffington Post.

Alan Cumming For The Celibacy Challenge

The FDA recently announced that gay and bisexual men may finally be allowed to donate blood after being banned for life since the ’80s — but only if they remain celibate for one year.

So straight guys can have safe sex with woman after woman and still donate blood. But gay and bi men who have had safe sex for an entire year — even with a monogamous partner — would still be banned. Sounds like discrimination to us.

Sign GLAAD and GMHC’s petition at www.celibacychallenge.com to pressure the FDA to screen all prospective blood donors based on risk, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Alan Cumming highlights the many ways you could spend a year NOT having sex.

American Medical Association supports ending gay blood ban

On Tuesday, the American Medical Association voted to end the 30 year ban on gay men donating blood.

"The lifetime ban on blood donation for men who have sex with men is discriminatory and not based on sound science," AMA board member William Kobler said in a statement.

"This new policy urges a federal policy change to ensure blood donation bans or deferrals are applied to donors according to their individual level of risk and are not based on sexual orientation alone."

The ban began in 1983 as a response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as patients were becoming infected through blood transfusions. However, with all blood now being tested, many believe the ban has become an outdated policy.

(via Advocate)