September 13, 2011
Dear Dr. Sanchez, the USS LGBT
TaskForce, and the CUNY Community,
GMHC appreciates your expressed
interest in recent months about blood donation policies. We are fortunate to have such committed,
socially conscious students and administration among our fellow New Yorkers. We support the approach, described in your
June 13, 2011 memo to the College Presidents, of advocating for change to the
current deferral criteria for gay men while addressing the dire need for blood
donations.
After submitting written
correspondence to you in April 2011, some events at your campuses have
warranted a second letter. First, I want
to support CUNY’s broad efforts to raise awareness about the current deferral
criteria for all men who have had sex with men (MSM) wishing to donate blood
(which, as you noted in recent correspondence, is not a CUNY policy but one of
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)).
Second, I want to reiterate our nuanced position about the importance
and delicacy of blood drives.
Because of the severely
negative public health effects of blood shortages, Gay Men’s Health Crisis
(GMHC) does not support boycotts of blood drives, or any efforts that actively
discourage would-be eligible donors from participating. We do, however, endorse
alternative and creative approaches that simultaneously raise awareness of the
absolute deferral of MSM donors and increase blood donations. From what I understand, two CUNY blood
drives were moved to alternative locations: one at CCNY in March, and another
at Queens College in May of this year. I
understand these efforts have been carefully planned by the USS LGBT
TaskForce. From our perspective, these
events are congruent with GMHC’s position on acceptable alternatives to blood
drives. CUNY succeeded in spreading
public opposition to the FDA’s outdated policies regarding donations from all
MSM, and in providing some students and other community members with an
opportunity to donate blood. We
recognize that, in moving the drives to alternate locations, donor turnout may
have been compromised. We certainly share
concerns that this could have residual impact on the amount of blood donated
from CUNY annually. GMHC is prepared to
continue working with CUNY students and administrators to strategically and
proactively address this unintended consequence. Finally, any data demonstrating declines in
donations could be very helpful in communication about the complexity of
hosting alternative blood drives. Please
let me know if you are able to quantify this phenomenon.
As I informed you over the
phone last week, GMHC is hosting a community forum on the blood donation ban
for all MSM on Tuesday October 18 from 6:00-7:30p at GMHC’s offices (446 W 33rd). There will
be a lively panel discussion with participants representing the voice of people
who are dependent on the safety of blood products, as well as the young man
Adam Gilbert who I alluded to in my first letter to you. Adam arranged a very successful alternative
blood drive at DePauw University last year.
I encourage you and anyone from the CUNY community to attend the
community forum.
I am happy to speak with you
further.
Sincerely,
Nathan Schaefer
Director, Public Policy