Selfish Hedonist

There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says: "Fool me once ... .... shame on ... ... shame on you. ... If fooled can't get fooled again!"

Ban on Gay Sperm Has Community Taking Matters into Its Own Hands

Last week's decision by the Food and Drug Administration to ban gay men from donating to sperm banks has angered many in the gay community, prompting some members to take matters into their own hands. A "call-to-arms" resulted in hundreds of semen samples being sent to the FDA's Rockville, MD, headquarters.

Protest organizers praise 'outpouring of support'

By Todd Fox

ROCKVILLE, MD—Long Island residents Joey Mirras and Sandy McAvoy, domestic partners of 14 years, have never considered themselves "activists" and have little interest in politics. But that was before the Food and Drug Administration made its controversial decision to ban gay men from donating sperm to local sperm banks. The FDA's move, says Mirras, left them with bad tastes in their mouths, and prompted them to put out a "call-to-arms" among their extensive network of gay and straight friends. "We weren't going to take this lying down," says Mirras, whose movement called "Act Up, Jack Off" is now gaining national attention.

Sperm release hits the street
The protest has already resulted in hundreds of semen samples being sent to the FDA's Rockville, MD, headquarters. According to Maryland postal officials, the state's mail distribution centers have been flooded with the samples, sent in from all over the country and tagged with statements such as "Don't Ask, Don't Sell" and "Different Strokes for Different Folks." Mirras and McAvoy say that they plan to keep up the pressure on the agency until it comes to its senses. [Click thumbnail to view PDF letter urging the community to protest.]

Implications for GOP officeholders?
While the gay community has been sharply critical of the ban, the FDA's move also prompted harsh words from some unlikely quarters. A number of conservative Republican office holders are reportedly concerned that the new rule may affect them adversely, as most GOP leaders have turned out to be gay. One potential sperm donor who now fears being barred at the door: the Republican mayor of Spokane, WA, an outspoken opponent of gay rights who last week acknowledged trolling a gay website and soliciting sex with men.

"He's going through an incredibly rough time right now," says a source close to the embattled mayor. "It's tough enough for him to deal with the fact that he may have to step down from his job. Now he can't give sperm in Spokane? It's a tragedy."

Gay stem cells at issue?
In announcing the ban, which will prevent men who have had male sexual partners within the past five years from selling their sperm, the FDA cited statistics that gay men are at increased risk for diseases like HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis. But some observers say that the agency is less concerned about the sperm itself than about what that sperm might potentially produce: gay babies and their building blocks, gay stem cells.

Last month, a Kansas man who'd undergone stem cell therapy for male pattern baldness sued his doctors when he was diagnosed as gay just weeks after the procedure. Experts estimate that as many as 10% of all stem cells could be gay.

The federal government issued recommendations today that look like they were written in 1982, not 2004. There is absolutely nothing about this proposal that's based on science or medicine -- this is a policy based on bigotry. The government's recommendations are discriminatory and defy common sense. It's completely illogical to say that a gay monogamous man who practiced safe sex four years ago cannot be a sperm donor, but a heterosexual man who had high-risk unprotected sex 14 months ago can donate his sperm. There are already procedures in place to ensure that donated sperm is safe, no matter who donated it. HIV affects every part of our nation's population, and the F.D.A. needs to realize that fact and stop treating gay men as the only people who contract HIV.

# posted by Jonathan Kelley @ 3:06 PM