Hundreds of gay men could not give blood after the Orlando nightclub shooting. U.S. law states that blood centers cannot accept donations from gay men who have been sexually active in the past year. The shooting left 50 people dead and 53 injured. The killer, Omar Mateen, 29, used an assault rifle in what is now the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Mateen targeted the LGBT community. He was supposedly angry at seeing two men kissing.
Many in the LGBT community want the law changed. A doctor said donated blood is tested for HIV and other diseases before it is used. He said: "Anybody who meets the basic qualifications…should be able to donate blood." The Atlantic said: "Even after the most deadly act against [the LGBT community] in American history, the built-in homophobia of American public health keeps the country from [organizing] the most effective possible response."
