Blood types

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I have a moderately uncommon blood type: B-positive. Only about 8% of the American population shares it with me. Apollonia has O-positive, which is horribly common; Partner thinks he’s A-positive, which is also moderately frequent.

So I am more special than they are.

There are even rarer types. AB-positive is pretty rare, and as for AB-negative, only one-half of one percent of the American population has that one.

Back in the 1970s, I used to give blood on a regular basis. Why not? I’m a good citizen, and very altruistic.

But then, with the onset of HIV/AIDS, the government changed the rules. Gay men are no longer welcome to give blood in the United States, if we have ever been sexually active.

At all.

O my!

Many countries have changed this rule. In some countries, they ask about how sexually active you’ve been. In the United States, it doesn’t matter. If you’re a man who’s ever had sex with a man, they don’t want you to give blood.

This is a shame, because my B-positive blood is desirable.

It’s also ridiculous, because they test blood now to see if there’s anything dangerous in it, like HIV.

But still they won’t take my blood.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has recently reopened this issue. I applaud her for it.

I want to give blood again.

I’m a B-positive who wants to help. And I’m pretty sure my blood is okay for public consumption.

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