You can sign up to be matched as a bone marrow donor for free from June 8th through 22nd at www.marrow.org. That is unless you are a man who’s had sex with another man in the past 5 years. The policy is disgusting, discriminatory, bigoted, and just plain wrong!

We’ve got a few options here. 1) Boycott donations until the policy is changed, 2) do nothing/apathy, or 3) lie about our sexuality and donate anyway. Not very good options are they? Well I’ve got a fourth option, and I’ll get into that in a second.

Boycotts are generally unproductive, especially in this case. They do little to highlight the problem. Bone marrow saves lives, and they need as many donors as they can get. Being apathetic is a waste. Doing nothing doesn’t save lives, nor does it put focus on the horrible injustice of discrimination. Lying isn’t advised either. Lying = The Closet, and that is a very scary place.

A funny thing about lying: The questionnaire about your health/sex life is based on the honor system. Which means, the people most likely to lie are in the closet. Adult gay men in the closet engage in un-safe sex at a higher rate than men who live outside of the closet and are well informed. Just asking the question implies there is something inherently dangerous about being gay. There isn’t. There IS something inherently dangerous about being ignorant.

Anything that pushes men & women into the closest is cruel and hurtful.

The fourth option, I mentioned, is letting your voice be heard and encouraging anyone who can to donate whatever they can. Bone Marrow, Blood, even Cord Blood. Let people know that this is still a huge problem. At first I was angry, but I’m trying to use my anger for something better than spite. I’m letting as many people know about this by Tweeting, blogging, and just talking to others. This idea of protest and encouragement is not new, but I want to do what I can to move our society closer to equality for all of us. The patient has the right to live, should we not do everything we can to help?

The American Red Cross & Marrow.Org are losing out on hundreds if not thousands of human beings willing to donate a part of themselves to help another human life survive.

Tell your friends about the “marrowthon” at Marrow.Org … It’s FREE … as in it doesn’t cost you anything to be tested and added to the registry. Tell your friends! Tell your friends to come out of the closet. Tell them you will love them just as deeply and that they are just as meaningful a contribution to society and the human species as everyone else.

@ShouldntSay . . . I hope SOMEDAY [being gay] will be a fact like any other, like–”She’s married”, or “He has two sisters”

When I attempted to register I was caught completely off guard. I had sadly forgotten about the FDA Guideline/Law that targets gay men unfairly. Marrow.org advised me that they were rejecting my request as I was a health risk.

“Men who in the past 5 years have had sex, even once with another male may be at increased risk for exposure to infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis”

I have been in a monogamous, committed, relationship with another man (*waves at Joe*) for 6 years. I am in general good health. I am ready and willing to donate. I am denied.

Let them know how you feel:

Tweet about the donation program and let @BeTheMatch know what you think about the discrimitory policy.
Visit Be The Match’s Blog for up to date information.

DONATE BECAUSE I CAN’T

image from euthman | used under creative commons license

I cried watching this video. Thanks for the link Rachel! I signed the petition and you should to:

Ken Starr — and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund — filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.

The Courage Campaign has created a video called “Fidelity,” with the permission of musician Regina Spektor, that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.

Please consider joining me in signing the letter to the state Supreme Court and passing this video on to your friends. The more people who see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr’s shameful legal proceeding.

http://www.couragecampaign.org

Someday Joe and I and will be married fo’ realz.

Nike pulls ads. Statement from ESPN:

“Nike is strongly opposed to discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting athletes regardless of their sexual orientation. The advertisement in question is based purely upon a common insight from within the game of basketball — the athletic feat of dunking on the opposition, and is not intended to be offensive. However, after listening to concerns expressed around specific executions, we have decided to drop them from the campaign to underline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and the workplace.

Nike has a strong record of support for diversity and is proud to have been honored with a 100 percent score over several consecutive years in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index.” [source]

Finally. [my source was towleroad]

Also, my blog received it first hate comment today. Does that mean I’m doing something right? If someone took the time to actually comment, lol.

I approved the comment. LOL. It makes me smile.

Are these Nike ads homophobic?

Let me know what you think.

In my opinion, yes, they are. They perpetuate the idea of male closeness as being something bad. Yes, I get that even if the athletes were gay, having sweaty balls slapped on your forehead wouldn’t be the most pleasant thing. However, the designer is exploiting the fact that many straight men in the sports world find it gross to even touch another man.

It may not be blatant homophobia, such as the Snickers ads. here & here. The second is pretty much gay-bashing.

The Nike ads are subtle jabs.

Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and there isn’t much we can do about that. However, no more Nikes for me. Oh, wait… I’ve never purchased Nikes in my life. Crisis averted.

Blog Links regarding Nike ads: The Gay Recluse, Towle Road.

On another note, Here are some bullet links that aren’t related.
+ Comic about McCain.
+ Janet Jackson Boob has been Freed.
- 14% of LBGT will vote for McCain. What the FUCK!?
+ My new desktop at work. I might actually make my own like this. It’s a great idea.
+ Backyard Torch. WANT.
+ Pretty Fire Extinguisher. WANT.
- Just say NO to another Stimulus Check.