Irony

[kproche]

I got home from picking up the car and the phone rang.

It was the American Red Cross, who are concerned about a significant shortage in the local blood supply, and they were calling to book specific personal appointments for donations.

I explained politely to the nice woman that regrettably, they wouldn't accept my blood because I was a sexually active gay man, and until they changed their rules I would not be allowed to donate blood even though willing.

She said she would make a note of that for future campaigns.

Maybe one of thesed days they'll get around to updating their blood donation protocols.

Comments

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

...

You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding.

Lord, every time I think we're a bit more enlightened...

JSM

[finickynarcane.livejournal.com]

He's not kidding. I (a female) tried to sign up to be a marrow donor. In order to do that for free you have to donate a pint of blood. One of the questions on the form is "Have you had sex in the last year with man who has had sex with another man since 1979?"

[didjiman.livejournal.com]

It's pretty lame. Karisu has whatever-negative blood, which is rarer still because it's good for the premies or something. Anyway, since we went to India last year, she cannot give blood for a whole year afterward!

[twjudy.livejournal.com]

I can't give blood ever again. I have a really rare blood type, so I'm always getting the phone calls, but since I lived in London, I'm permanently on the verboten list.

India: One year
London: Never

wtf?

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

"WTF" exactly. Can't they just test you to find out if you survived the London experience safely and then go from there? Certainly if there were nasties in your blood (ha! unlikely!) they'd have to show up now.

Idiots.

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, London is Teh Biggest Hotbed of 3rd-World Sleaze 'n Disease!!! >:O Young lady, what were you THINKING of, living there?!?!?

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Who knows, you could be a Dangerous Carrier for Mad Cow!!! >:O

[twjudy.livejournal.com]

yeah, that's why. Mad Cow. They claim they can't test for it since it takes so long to show up. Meh.

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

??!?!?!?!? Yer KIDDING. (I was, in my comment above, but sadly I fear you are not.)

...Then how do they test COWS for it???

So according to them, you could theoretically come down with Mad Cow disease any day now - for the rest of your life.

Yeah, right.
It's pathetic. -_-

[kproche.livejournal.com]

They kill the cow (or wait until it falls over dead if we aren't lucky) and dissect its brain, and examine the tissue for evidence of BSE*


*That's Bovine Spongiform Encephalophathy, aka Mad Cow Disease

[icarusjj.livejournal.com]

It's a level of paranoia, and for them an easy/stupid way to limit the amount of needed blood supply that's available.

Soon they'll just say you can't give blood if you have ever had sex with anyone who has ever had sex.