Mother— a creative agency with offices in London and New York—found an innovative way to protest a U.S. law banning men who have sex with other men from donating blood if they had gay male sex within the past 12 months. For Pride month, the agency released a limited-edition tee printed with the blood of its gay employees.
“If the FDA changed its risk-assessment, it is estimated that an additional 360,600 men would likely donate 615,300 additional pints of blood each year, possibly saving the lives of more than 1.8 million people.”
In an effort to inspire reform, the “Blood Is Blood” campaign calls out the discriminatory practice of blood donation based on sexual orientation. The front of the shirt reads, “This shirt is printed with the blood of gay men,” while the back has a longer message slamming the FDA for not updating the law.
“If the FDA changed its risk-assessment, it is estimated that an additional 360,600 men would likely donate 615,300 additional pints of blood each year, possibly saving the lives of more than 1.8 million people,” an official statement on the brand’s website explains. “Due to the stigma of another era, members of the community can’t be proud of their own blood. The Food and Drug Administration claims that the blood of men who have had sex with men in the last 12 months is ‘too risky’ to donate. Instead of making the call based on real risk-factors, the regulation discriminates based on sexual orientation.”
Created in partnership with LGBTQ+ health center Callen-Lorde, international contemporary artist Stuart Semple, and gender-neutral retailer, The Phluid Project, proceeds will benefit the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which provides services to LGBTQ+ people in New York. Click here for more information.
