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U.S F.D.A Blood Ban: The Past, The Present, Our Progress
May 19 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Please join us on Tuesday May 19th from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the USM Glickman Library on the Portland campus for a keynote and community forum hosted in partnership with EqualityMaine, Queerly ME, Equality Community Center and the Southern Maine chapter of the American Red Cross.
Our gathering will include a short keynote from a national ARC staff member 5:45pm to 6:00pm, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A 6:30pm-7:30pm to:
-acknowledge the harmful impact of the longtime US FDA’s blood ban for men who have sex with men
– educate about recent (and still not fully inclusive) changes to this policy
-discuss continued advocacy needed to move toward reconciliation and reparations with queer communities when it comes to donating blood, and
– demystify the blood donation process with the hopes of engaging the LGBTQ+ community with the Red Cross
From 6:00pm to 6:30pm, participants will be invited to visit the Maine Family Planning’s and Frannie Peabody’s resource tables as well as the Sampson Center’s LGBTQIA+ archive downstairs and its literature table. Refreshments will be provided.