The fight for equal rights among all people – regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender – is a continuing battle. Although there are victories along the way, setbacks often outnumber the advancements.
One of these setbacks is a new Food and Drug Administration policy that prohibits men who engage in sex with other men from donating sperm.
This policy, which is already in effect at some sperm banks, is in place because men who engage in sex with other men are at “high risk” for diseases, according to a laboratory supervisor quoted in a Lantern article yesterday.
Being gay does not genetically predispose a person to high risk for diseases. Behavior does. Any person – gay, straight or bisexual – is at high risk for disease when they practice unsafe sex. Excluding a certain group – in this case, men who have sex with other men – based on their sexual preference is an unfair, discriminatory practice.
Men who engage in sex with other men have the same opportunities to practice safer sex as any other group. Any man can use a condom. This ability is not lessened because of sexual orientation. To exclude a person based on the assumption that he did not practice safer sex is wrong across the board.
The AIDS rate is higher among blacks, said Brett Genny Beemyn, coordinator of Ohio State Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services in yesterday’s Lantern article.
With the logic the FDA is using, blacks should also be prohibited from donating sperm. Wouldn’t this be unethical? Wouldn’t this be discriminatory? Wouldn’t this be unjust?
Excluding groups of people based on who they are having sex with as opposed to whether they are practicing safer sex is flawed in ways beyond being discriminating. It does not work. People can lie about their sexual history. This is why it is important to test for diseases such as AIDS. Because sperm banks already run multiple tests to detect diseases, prohibiting certain groups of people is useless.
The FDA’s new policy is a step back for equal rights and an unnecessary practice. It is discrimination and needs to be changed.
