The American Red Cross Association Discriminates Against Homosexuals

Some of the rules and regulations regarding the American Red Cross Blood Donation Fund have been brought to my attention. Not only are some of these rules based upon a stereotype but they also discriminate against homosexuals.
We are in the year 2003 and making great progress with AIDS. We now fully understand how it is transmitted, and what it does to the human body. Society has come a long way since 1977 when the first AIDS case was discovered. We now know that heterosexuals just as well as homosexuals are at the same risk of developing HIV (The virus that causes AIDS). It doesnt matter who you are, you are just at risk of developing HIV as the next person. Whether you are, straight, gay, girl, or boy, all the risks are the same.
The American Red Cross Blood Donation Fund discriminates against homosexuals and strips them of their Constitutional rights. For anyone who has ever given blood, you would know that along with many questions asked one of those is, Are you gay? They do not ask the females this question, only the males. If a male is to say yes, they are automatically turned down and are not permitted to donate blood. This is based on the stereotypical idea that all gay men are infected with HIV. This of course is not true. Since all the blood donations are tested for HIV and other diseases, one would wonder why it should matter if you are gay? One would also wonder why homosexual men would be the only ones to be turned down when the educated would know that all people are at risk of developing HIV and contracting the AIDS virus.
The following is from this site http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/blood/learn/eligibl.html

HIV, AIDS
Those who are at increased risk for becoming infected with HIV are not eligible to donate blood. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you are at increased risk if:
you are a male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once;
you have ever used a needle, even once, to take drugs or steroids that were not prescribed by a physician;
you have taken clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia;
you were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977 (This requirement is related to concerns about HIV Group O. Learn more about HIV Group O.)
you have taken drugs or money in exchange for sex since 1977;
you have ever had a positive test for HIV virus;
you have symptoms of HIV infection including unexplained weight loss, night sweats, blue or purple spots on or under the skin, long-lasting white spots or unusual sores in your mouth, lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin that last more than a month, fever higher than 99 degrees that lasts more than 10 days, diarrhea lasting over a month, or persistent cough and shortness of breath;
Wait for 12 months after close contact with someone who is at an increased risk for HIV infection. This occurs when paying to have sex, as a result of rape, or when having sex with an IV drug user.

It is ridiculous that this rule has been up as long as it has. The American Red Cross must be looking for a lawsuit. This rule is unjust, unconstitutional, and flat out wrong. It is our hope to eliminate this rule, and all others that discriminate against homosexuals, heterosexuals and all people looking to help the less fortunate. These healthy blood donors are being denied their contribution because of a stereotype.