1000 Baker Machado. The United States is in a critical blood shortage right now.
According to the American Red Cross every day,
approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed
in surges in. COVID cases fueled the worst blood shortage that we've seen
in more than a decade.
Yet gay and bisexual men are still barred from donating blood.
One Tiktokers though is taking his platform to end this discriminatory policy
that prevents gay and bisexual men from donating blood.
And he starts with sharing his own story.
My straight friends left with 97 girls last year and he told me this because he felt
so bad for what just happened to me because yesterday we went to give blood together,
let me say the place was kind of huge and amazing.
He went first and the nurse was so nice to him. I was kind of excited for my turn.
And then the nurse came up to me and it's my turn and
she starts wrapping my arm and now I'm actually getting scared and nervous.
And then the nurse walked away, she started whispering to
another nurse. So I waited
and she came back and asked me to stand up because she won't take my blood.
Now that Tiktok or josh Helfgott joined us to talk more about his experience and
how he's on a mission now to change
the discrimination within the LGBT plus community.
Starting with his position or position position, take a look.
I went to donate blood
um
a few months ago and I recorded a video about it because what happened to me
made me feel so ashamed and embarrassed and small. Um
I was filling out the forms, getting ready to go.
I sit down in the chair and then right when I was about to donate blood,
they informed me that I could not because I was gay.
And how did, and how did they know that? Did you check a form? Did you check a box?
Like is there is there a thing when you're donating
blood by the way we're in a blood shortage,
How do they even know that you're gay?
The FDA.
So you have to fill out a form and
every single person who donates blood fills out a form
asking them have you had sex with a man? If you are a man, have you had sex with a man?
And by the way, even if you're a woman or someone who isn't a man, they ask you,
have you had sex with anyone who is a man who has had sex with a man as well?
So if you're a woman
and you happened to sleep with someone who has also had sex with a man,
then you're disqualified as well in the past three months.
And
This one, this is insane to think about because this is 2022,
you're clearly being discriminated.
All of everybody, every gay and bisexual man being is being discriminated here.
But to add another element to it,
was it your roommate or somebody that you're friends with that is heterosexual who
was allowed to has been allowed to sleep with numerous amounts of people.
Was able to donate blood. He was, he was, and he told me that I went with my friend.
Um, and he he's straight and he has slept with so many women.
And
I shared that in the video. He allowed me to.
Um,
because the quantity of people he slept with I think is more
than the amount of people I've slept with in my entire life.
No question. Like way more.
Um,
he had no problem. In fact, they didn't even ask him how many partners he had,
but they didn't ask me how many partners I had either.
It didn't matter
if I had one partner
who was a man,
I'm disqualified. But if he has 100
who are women,
no criminal problems.
So what was the reaction that you got from viewers on your Tiktok?
When you posted that video?
They were shocked and I was shocked that they were shocked
because apparently most people don't realize that this is a policy.
They just don't know. So many gay men don't know so many straight people don't know.
But the most shocking thing was realizing,
oh, how many people took my video and thought that this was the individual nurse?
Just that nurse was homophobic towards me,
not the policy because even when I recorded that story,
I assumed that people knew.
So I pinned a comment saying it with tens of
thousands of likes clarifying that this is a policy.
Gay and bisexual men are completely banned from donating blood.
They have been since the mid 1980s.
And despite the fact that blood is perfectly tested today, there's no problem
On top of that. We're in a blood crisis right now.
There is a shortage of blood where there will be individuals like me and you and so
many other individuals will be lining out the door
to help in this situation but are unable to
and this is in 2022,
the fact that you're able to get married in any state in this country,
but not able to donate blood.
Now, clearly you're trying to do something about this. And I think this is amazing
Because you have basically gotten over 120,000 supporters who
have signed this petition to help end this ban.
You've actually think increased this now 230,000 because the amount
of intrigue and this has been so good on this.
What are you sort of hoping to get done with all of these signatures here?
One thing the FDA needs to lift their ban immediately and allow gay and
bisexual men to donate blood because your sexuality is not a risk factor.
Your sexual behavior is a risk factor. And that was what my video is about.
My straight friends sleeping with 97 women. That is a risk factor.
Me sleeping with one man
is so much smaller.
You know, the FDA is trying to do something.
They're funding a study called the advanced study, which you can sign up for.
Its I think only around 200 people and they're looking into,
we're gonna follow gay and bisexual men through their journey of sleeping
with other men and see do they pose an increased risk.
But the american Medical association and all of the
of the professional institute filled with doctors agree
that gay and bisexual men don't inherently pose a greater risk than anyone else.
So that study in and of itself while being filled with
progress is homophobic to me because you don't need to follow gay
and bisexual men to check if there have increased risk when
we have doctors and the professional organizations saying we are not.
Absolutely.
And I and I'm with you and I hope
that this incredibly horrific discriminatory policy gets overturned.
I only have about 90 seconds left with you. But I wanted to ask you
about some of your other Tiktok videos because your Tiktok
for me,
I go down basically a rabbit hole of your videos and then I'm in tears by a lot of it.
You're basically telling so many people about what it's like to be a
gay man what it's like or just be part of the L G.
B. T. Q community and all these other sorts of things that people don't realize.
Where do you
draw your inspiration for some of your videos?
All of my inspiration I draw from
When I was 13 and 14 years old and had no friends because people thought I was weird.
I want everyone out there to know who is feeling the way I felt that they are not weird,
that they are loved, that they are not alone.
Because I think that's how you can feel.
And really quickly, what does pride mean to you?
Pride means
knowing
inside of you
that you are not only good enough
but so special
and your sexuality
only enhances that
I think that it uh it is beautiful to be who you are this month.
What a great conversation! Thanks to Tiktoker josh Health. Got there.