On July 12, director Ryan James Yezak of "Second Class Citizens" will organize the first ever nationwide gay blood drive to raise awareness about the ban against MSM blood donors and increase pressure on the FDA to lift it.
Since 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied gay and bisexual men from donating blood. On Friday, July 12th, the first親ver nationwide blood drive will take place to bring attention to the ban and increase pressure on the FDA to lift it. This peaceful demonstration is being captured for Ryan James Yezak's feature人ength documentary about discrimination based on sexual orientation, Second Class Citizens.
Yezak, director of Second Class Citizens, believes that," ... the ban is outdated, and as a result,
countless otherwise eligible gay and bisexual men are unable to contribute to the nation's blood supply and help save lives — Especially a time when blood shortages are increasingly common. Not only that, but the ban perpetuates negative stereotypes and stigma. Whether intentional or not, it is discrimination based on sexual orientation."
The drive will take place nationally from 9am PST (which marks the demonstration's "universal rallying point") to 5pm PST that Friday and will consist of eligible gay and bisexual male donors, most commonly referred to as MSM donors, showing up to get tested at a specified donation center in their respective city and then attempting to donate their blood. As each donor is rejected, their test result will be collected, compiled, and delivered to the FDA — Visually conveying to them on a national level how much blood the gay community could contribute to the blood supply should they lift their current policy.
While it is anticipated that 1,000 rejected MSM donors will be exceeded — It's also pertinent to note that on尽ite mobile rapid HIV testing will be provided at each location for participants to confirm their statuses before attempting to donate.
Yezak closes by saying," This is not a protest, this is not meant to be political. This is a demonstration of peace, of love, of being a human being."
It goes without saying that the FDA needs to revise its policy so it focuses on sexual behavior instead. Help shed a nationwide light on this ban — Be a part of the defining civil rights movement of our time and help end discrimination based on sexual orientation by participating in this peaceful demonstration. Be sure to also tune in to Yezak's viral video "National Gay Blood Drive" which will be released on Monday, July 8th on his YouTube page : http://youtube.com/RyanJamesYezak.
About The National Gay Blood Drive
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bans gay and bisexual men from donating blood. On Friday, July 12th, 2013, the first親ver nationwide blood drive demonstration will take place to bring attention to the ban and increase pressure on the FDA to uplift it. For more information, please visit www.gayblooddrive.com or email info@gayblooddrive.com .
About Second Class Citizens
Second Class Citizens is a feature人ength documentary from filmmaker/activist Ryan James Yezak that takes an all親ncompassing look at discrimination based on sexual orientation.
For more information on the documentary, please visit www.2ndclassfilm.com .
For more information about this peaceful demonstration and how you can help, please visit www.gayblooddrive.com or email info@gayblooddrive.com . For more information about Ryan James Yezak and Second Class Citizens, please contact Shae Savin, shaesavinpr@gmail.com at 310.717.3474 or visit www.2ndclassfilm.com (Second Class Citizens).
