MARCH 23
Q-NOTES
National
Red Cross calls for FDA to drop
ban on gay blood donations
Policy unfairly impacts gay and
transgender communities
by Mark Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In early March
the Food & Drug Administration met to
hear arguments from leading national
blood centers that want the government
to revise guidelines on its 23-year-old
policy prohibiting gay men from donating
blood solely on the basis of their sexual
orientation.
In a joint statement, the American
Association of Blood Banks (AABB),
America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and
American Red Cross (ARC) called the cur
rent lifetime deferral for men who have sex
with men (MSMs) “medically and scientif
ically unwarranted.”
The organizations went further to rec
ommend that deferral criteria be modified
and made comparable with criteria for
other groups at increased risk for sexual
transmission of transfusion-transmitted
infections. Currently presenting blood
donors judged to be at risk of exposure via
heterosexual routes are deferred for one
year while men who have had sex with
another man even once since 1977 are
permanently deferred.
Current testing methods allow detec
tion of HIV-infected donors between 10
and 21 days after exposure. Beyond this
window period, there is no valid scientific
reason to differentiate between individu
als infected a few months or many years
previously.
The statement also added that the
FDA’s current policy is seen as “unfair and
discriminatory” and has “resulted in nega
tive attitudes” regarding blood donation.
“It’s very encouraging to have the
leading national blood centers echo
what the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community has known for
years: There is no sound, scientific basis
fpr the current lifetime ban on blood
donations from gay identified men or
men who have sex with men,” said Mara
Keisling, executive director of the
National Center for Transgender
Equality. “We applaud the American Red
Cross for joining the coalition of voices
lobbying for a ban revision.
‘This is also a victory for the transgen
der community,” Keisling added. “In
blood donation centers around the coun
try, transgender people have been rou
tinely denied the opportunity to take part
in the civic and humanitarian responsibil
ity of blood donation. When a blood cen
ter technician learns of a potential
donor’s transgender identity, that donor
— regardless of his or her sexual orienta
tion — is often inaccurately categorized
as MSM and excluded by the same homo-
phobic policy.”
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Cliarlortc
Center for American Progress
names Winnie Stachelberg
Senior VP for External Affairs
by Daniella Gibbs Leger
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Center for
American Progress (CAP) President and
CEO ]ohn Podesta announced that Winnie
Stachelberg has joined the Center as Senior
Vice President for External
Affairs. Stachelberg joins CAP
after working II years at the
Human Rights Campaign
(HRC), the nation’s largest
gay civil rights organization.
“We are very pleased to
have Winnie join us at the
Center,” said Podesta. “With
her hire, CAP is now poised to
reach out to a much broader
audience with our progres
sive messages of innovation
and collaboration.”
In her last year at HRC,
Stachelberg was vice presi
dent of the HRC Foundation, where she
helped build a think tank and launch a reli
gion and faith program. For nearly a
decade as political director, Stachelberg
developed new allies, broadened HRC’s
reach on Capitol Hill and in political circles
around the country.
“This is a great opportunity to help pro
mote progressive policies and ideas among
elected officials from members of congress
After more than a decade
at HRC Winnie Stachelberg
moves to the Center for
American Progress.
to state and local elected officials, state, local
and regional organizations, corporate allies
and other advocacy organizations and think
tanks,” said Stachelberg. “It is essential that
CAP’S great work is translated into action on
Capitol Hill and beyond the
Beltway. I’m very excited to
join such a talented and
hard-working staff.”
Stachelberg established
HRC as a key member of the
progressive political coali
tion. She grew HRC’s legisla
tive portfolio from two bills in
1996 to more than a dozen
bipartisan measures in 2004.
Stachelberg also created and
executed an innovative agen
da around tax and benefits
issues at HRC.
Prior to her work with
HRC, Stachelberg worked at
the Office of Management and Budget in
both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
administrations, formulating and reviewing
health care policies and budgets for the
Department of Health and Human Services.
A native New Yorker, Stachelberg Taught
at George Washington High School after
graduating Georgetown University. She
received a Masters in Public Administration
from George Washington University.
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