officials said the slain shooter, identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, opened fire at the club near downtown Orlando, killing 50 people and wounding at least 50 more in what is being called the worse mass shooting in U.S. The overwhelming response of donations followed a massacre inside Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando. OneBlood reached capacity Sunday afternoon.
Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood.įorbes said OneBlood does not make the laws and is obligated to follow the law.
Other deferral reasons include pregnancy, illness and international travel to certain locations. In 1983, there was no way to screen blood for HIV. This was changed to a year-long deferral in 2015, and three months in 2020. In 1983 when the policy was put in place, it was in the form of a lifetime ban on gay men from donating. She said about 60 percent of potential donors can’t give blood for one reason or another, being a gay man is just one of those reasons. Current FDA policy bans blood donors who are men who have had sex with other men within the last three months. RELATED: How you can help after mass shooting at Orlando nightclubįorbes said Orlando One Blood is working to change its system to allow gay men who have not had sex in the last year to donate, but the changes will take several more months.
