Adam & Eve Asks, Should Gay/Bi Men Be Allowed To Donate Blood?

HILLSBOROUGH, NC—When it comes to sex, adameve.com, one of America’s most trusted sources for adult products, never shies away from asking the tough questions. This month, they’re back with new results from their annual sex survey, where they asked over 1,000 adults if they thought that gay and/or bisexual men should be allowed to donate blood if they have had sex with another man in the past 12 months—and their answers may surprise. Under current United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines, gay and/or bisexual men are prohibited from donating blood if they have had sex with another man within the previous 12 months. Although 49% of the respondents (45% of the females vs. 50% of the males) believe prohibiting sexually active gay and/or bisexual men from donating blood is a relevant and necessary public health restriction, 51% of the respondents (55% of the females vs. 50% of the males) feel this rule is outdated and ignores current information about transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Dr. Jenni Skyler, Adam & Eve’s resident sexologist, stated, “While gay men are prohibited from donating blood at all in Austria, Denmark and Greece, the laws in the United Kingdom were recently changed to allow donation at three months following same-sex encounters rather than 12. I am hopeful that the United States will soon follow suit, as blood donation should be based on a human being’s health, not their sexual orientation. ” “Adam & Eve’s annual sex survey gauges the changing sexual attitudes and values of American adults,” noted Chad Davis, Director of Marketing for Adam & Eve. The web-based survey, conducted by an independent third party survey company, of over 1,000 American adults age 18 and up, was sponsored by Adam & Eve to study sexual preferences and practices. For more information about Adam & Eve, visit their website, adameve.com. For additional information on Adam & Eve, contact Adam & Eve Director of Public Relations Katy Zvolerin at 919-644-8100 x 3121 or [email protected].