Hundreds gay men eager to give blood the wake the Orlando nightclub shooting have been turned away blood centers. Despite a major clinic urging people to donate blood, it was prevented federal law from accepting donations gay men who had been sexually active the past year. The shooting Sunday morning left 50 people dead and 53 injured, some seriously. The killer, Omar Mateen, 29, used a semi-automatic assault rifle to create the carnage, which is now the deadliest mass shooting U.S. history. Mateen, a New York native, supposedly targeted the LGBT community at the club after being angered seeing two men kissing in Miami.
Many the LGBT community are now protesting the federal policy of barring gay men donating blood unless they had been celibate the previous year. Dr Ryan Stanton said donated blood must be tested HIV and other infectious diseases before it could be used. The testing process typically takes 24 hours. He said: "Anybody who meets the basic qualifications, whether homosexual or heterosexual, should be able to donate blood." The Atlantic said: "Even after the most deadly act gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people American history, the built-in homophobia American public health keeps the country mounting the most effective possible response."
