DEDHAM, Mass. — The state’s public health commissioner and a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director will come together on Tuesday to donate blood amid new rules that open blood donation to gay and bisexual men.
DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein and former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will both donate blood together “to commemorate the recently updated rules enabling many gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men to donate blood,” the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a statement on Monday.
The two will donate blood together at the Red Cross Dedham Donation Center, officials said.
In May, the Food and Drug Administration eased restrictions that had previously prohibited many blood donations by gay and bisexual men after years of pressure by the American Medical Association, blood banks and LGBTQ rights groups. This month, the American Red Cross began accepting donations from eligible gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
“For nearly a decade, Drs. Walensky and Goldstein have worked together to change the policy for blood donation eligibility, advocating that donation criteria should be based on science and risk, and not stigmatize based on sexual orientation,” state public health officials said.
Goldstein and Walensky publicly wrote about the issue in 2017, “in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting, when most gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men were unable to donate blood and help their community in this meaningful way,” officials said.
“During the past 2½ years, when Dr. Walensky led the CDC and Dr. Goldstein worked with her as a senior policy advisor, they continued their efforts to revise eligibility guidelines,” officials said.
The two made a pact that when the regulations finally changed, they would donate blood together, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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