# US to turn gays away from sperm banks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 20, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236 "2004-05-20T20:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rkts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@rkts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rkts)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/41 "2004-05-21T21:16:25Z")
**cowgirl** , semen contains more than just sperm cells and can very easily carry a disease. Also, I should point out (irrelevant as it is) that spermatozoa do contain mitochondria, without which the tail would be unable to propel the cell. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/42 "2004-05-22T00:56:43Z")
> [@Asylum](#): > > **Chique** , I realized that we might be talking past each other. Is your criticism that the FDA is prohibiting donations from viable donors due to what you feel is an unreasonable fear or do you feel that the FDA has a gay bias? Answering that might change my responses to your posts. I’m gonna assume the latter and trust you to correct me if I’m wrong. If it’s the former I think that the ethics concerning this debate can change dramatically. Hrm. I need to stop typing late at night; I forget to actually make the point I’m trying to make. When the blood donation rules were first promulgated the only people, in the public mind, who got AIDS were gays and transfusion victims - hence the capriciousness of the rules - _that’s_ what I mean by an anti-gay bias. A woman who has had unprotected sex with an HIV postive man can wait a year and give blood, yet a man who had sex with another man in 1978 cannot ever give blood again. I can have a bunch of one-night stands with strangers and, as long as I’m not getting money or drugs for sex, I’m still able to donate. The rules, when set up, were anti-gay, and need to be updated to reflect modernity - a guy who had sex with a guy in 1978 is out of the hazard zone for infection, don’t you think? I think all of the reasons you’ve proposed for keeping the archaic rules in place are sound, so I don’t have anything to argue about there. I just think the existing rules are stupid. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/43 "2004-05-22T00:58:02Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > What does “no pads, more blood, more action” mean, BTW? 😕 I’m sorry … it was a really bad joke concerning football. “Australian rules”, I’m American. Get it? I’ll just be running along now… ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/44 "2004-05-23T09:35:52Z")
**Asylum** , if you’re going to make the claim that gay sex is inherently more “dangerous” than straight sex, you’re the one that needs to come up with the proof. “Extraordinary claims” and all that. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![SpiderClan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@SpiderClan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpiderClan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/45 "2004-05-23T10:23:38Z")
I don’t get how this can even be enforced. So they ask you if you’re gay or if you’ve had sex with another man. So what? All you have to do is lie. How would they know if you’re gay or not? It’s not like it’s written in your semen or something. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/46 "2004-05-23T10:24:20Z")
Just “for the record”: From the [Aids.org](http://Aids.org) [factsheet](http://www.aids.org/factSheets/index.html) > [@](#): > > WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE RISKIEST? > The highest risk of becoming infected with HIV is if you share needles to inject drugs with someone who is infected with HIV. When you share needles, there is a very high probability that someone else’s blood will be injected into your bloodstream. Hepatitis can also be transmitted by sharing needles. > > The next greatest risk for HIV infection is from unprotected sexual intercourse. Receptive anal intercourse carries the highest risk. The lining of the rectum is very thin. It is damaged very easily during sexual activity. This makes it easier to HIV to enter the body. > > Vaginal intercourse has the next highest risk. The lining of the vagina is stronger than in the rectum, but it can still be damaged by sexual activity. All it takes is a tiny scrape that can be too small to see. The risk of infection is increased if there is any inflammation or infection in the vagina. > > There is some risk for the active partner in anal or vaginal sex. It’s possible for HIV to enter the penis through any open sores, or through the moist lining of the opening of the penis. Also, from the [American Society for Clinical Pathology](http://www.ascp.org/general/pub_resources/aids/avoid.asp): > [@](#): > > Public health experts know that people who engage in certain types of sexual behavior have a greater risk of HIV infection than others. Studies show that people are more likely to be infected with HIV if they have more than one sexual partner or if they engage in sex with prostitutes. Homosexual and bisexual men and their sexual partners are also at greater risk of HIV infection in the US because of the high incidence of this disease among these two groups. Also, unfortunately, male to male sexual contact accounted for more than three times the number of exposure cases than male to female in 2002. [cite](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats.htm#exposure) But, as **Otto** pointed out – if you or your partner don’t have the virus, then there is no risk, regardless of what activities you engage in. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/47 "2004-05-23T17:29:42Z")
> [@Esprix](#): > > **Asylum** , if you’re going to make the claim that gay sex is inherently more “dangerous” than straight sex, you’re the one that needs to come up with the proof. “Extraordinary claims” and all that. > > Esprix I’m sorry, **Esprix** , but what claim am I making that’s extraordinary? I’m sure you’re aware of the info **leander** linked to, and I assume you saw my response to **Otto** , so what sort of proof do you want? ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/48 "2004-05-23T18:35:52Z")
> [@Asylum](#): > > I’m sorry, **Esprix** , but what claim am I making that’s extraordinary? I’m sure you’re aware of the info **leander** linked to, and I assume you saw my response to **Otto** , so what sort of proof do you want? Putting a penis into an anus is a risky behaviour. It doesn’t matter whether the anus belongs to a man or a woman. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/49 "2004-05-23T21:40:13Z")
Putting a penis without a condom into _anything_ is a risky behaviour. I just hope sperm donors are checked for diseases. Hetero, gay, bi and anti-sexual sperm donors, that is. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236/50 "2004-05-23T21:49:33Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > Putting a penis into an anus is a risky behaviour. It doesn’t matter whether the anus belongs to a man or a woman. Statistically speaking, it sure does. At least here in the US. (see cites above) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-to-turn-gays-away-from-sperm-banks/246236.md?page=2)