New York, NY — In response to the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to ease restrictions on its 31-year ban on gay blood donors, Scott Campbell, executive director for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, issued the following statement:
“The Elton John AIDS Foundation is pleased that the FDA has taken a first step to lift the antiquated ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood. This announcement represents a long overdue shift in the public health field’s perception of gay men. While we urge the FDA to fully discard its ban, this step underscores what we have always believed: that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, should be allowed to help people in need. It’s part of ending stigma against LGBT Americans, and is simply the right thing to do.”
About the Elton John AIDS Foundation
At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) we believe that AIDS can be beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds for effective programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people’s lives. Sir Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the help of our network of kind, amazing, creative, and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised more than $300 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS.
For more information, and for a complete list and descriptions of EJAF’s 2014 round three grantees, please visit www.ejaf.org.
For more information please visit www.ejaf.org
Follow EJAF on Facebook and Twitter.
American Airlines is the official sponsoring airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
