# What should the 'gay blood donation' question be?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 16, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215 "2010-02-16T17:25:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215/41 "2010-03-27T03:00:20Z")

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> [@amarinth](#):
>
> Couldn’t the date be moved up at least?  
> Is it possible to have contracted HIV in 1978 and not know it yet? 22 years later? I can see that date being legitimate in 1985 (when the Red Cross started asking it) but now?

Pssst… I know this is an old thread, but check your math there.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215/42 "2010-03-27T04:01:37Z")

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My partner and I led extremely active sex lives until we met in 1987. Since then we’ve been monogamous. We are both HIV-negative, yet the only way we can donate blood would be to lie, which we won’t do. Obviously something needs to change to allow us to donate. But the reason for the change has nothing to do with us, or with being PC. The reason is so that more . . . and safe . . . blood can be available when needed. The rights of the donors are nothing, compared with the needs of the recipients.

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