Manhattan Pols Set To Host Blood Drive In The West Village

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Lower Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman announced Friday he is partnering with other elected officials and the New York Blood Center to host a blood drive in the West Village.

The blood drive will take place at Westbeth Gallery, 57 Bethune Street, on Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fellow West Village representatives City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Assembly Member Deborah Glick will join Hoylman at the event, along with Congressman Jerrold Nadler and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Hoylman is one of two openly gay members of the New York State Senate, meaning he cannot donate blood or convalescent plasma under Food and Drug Administration policy.

"New York has a severe shortage of blood and the convalescent plasma needed for treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the FDA still won't let me give mine," Hoylman said in a news release. "The New York Blood Center only has three day's supply on hand, about half of their pre-pandemic numbers. Yet the FDA still clings to their outdated and homophobic policies."

Hoylman added a call for LGBTQ+ allies to step up and give on behalf of "our community" to meet the shortage.

Hoylman sent a letter to the FDA in March asking for a change in the rule that requires some members of the LGBTQ+ community to be abstinent for a year before donating blood.

The FDA subsequently changed the restriction to allow men who have sex with men to donate blood after three months of abstinence. Despite the change, Hoylman was still rejected in his attempt to donate blood in May, which prompted him to send another letter asking to end the celibacy requirement entirely.

"The FDA restrictions on LGBTQ+ people giving blood are outdated and offensive and they should be lifted immediately," said Johnson in a news release. "There unfair rules are particularly unhelpful at a time when New York City is low on blood supply, like it is now."

Glick also called out the FDA's "outdated discriminatory policies."

"Like my colleagues, I have urged the FDA to change their outdated discriminatory policies," Glick said in a news release. "Restrictions steeped in homophobia and antiquated beliefs about HIV and AIDS have no scientific basis, and people seeking to aid their communities by donating blood should not be demeaned or excluded, but rather applauded for their willingness to help, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis."

To attend the blood drive, you have to reserve a spot ahead of time here.