Fwd: Looking for City Organizers for a National Action to End Descrimnation!

[Zakiya]

I"m just catching up with my emails and thought some might want this info.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Meg Sneed <meg....@yahoo.com>

Date: April 4, 2009 11:04:21 AM PDT

To: Meg Sneed <meg....@yahoo.com>

Subject: Looking for City Organizers for a National Action to End Descrimnation! 

Hello fellow Community Organizer! I am writing foremost because I recognize and value your work on LGBT issues in your home state. I would like to take a moment to discuss with you an exciting project that is going to take place in Nationwide in May, and the possibility of your involvement as an organizer for your city. The FDA has a current policy in place that states that “men who have had sex with other men, at any time since 1977 are currently deferred as blood donors.” Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, but currently only an estimated 5% of the eligible population donates blood in any given year. American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and the American Red Cross (ARC) have stated that the lifetime bans for men who have sex with men "is medically and scientifically unwarranted" and that "it does not appear rational to broadly differentiate sexual transmission via male-to-male sexual activity from that via heterosexual activity on scientific grounds." On February 21st 2009 in Phoenix, AZ 26 healthy HIV-, Hepatitis B- and Hepatitis C- men asked to give blood and save up to three lives each; based on the current policy they were denied the ability to donate. As a thank you to United Blood Services for their public stance against this policy 23 donors donated blood on this day in honor of the 26 men that were denied. A second blood drive will take place in cities across the nation 90 days from the first blood drive, on May 16th 2009, and would love for you to sign up to organize your city! We will provide a new organizer kit to help you get started and we will be having conference calls to coach you along the way! We have contacted the FDA and hope that through dialog and sharing of scientific data with American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and the American Red Cross (ARC) the FDA will be able to draft a policy that does not base deferral on behavioral based questions. If you would like to get involved you can email me at meg....@yahoo.com or call at 623-262-6696. Thanks! Meg Sneed

Zakiya Khabir

phone: 443-742-8776

email: in...@zoochia.com

AIM: zoochia

skype: zakiya.khabir

website: zoochia.com