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The town of Fort Dick
NAMBLA?
Does Red Cross blood draw discriminate?
Cruising the straights
AIDS education
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This elderly woman called a radio talk show late one night.  She was amazed at how low America's morals had fallen.  Four US Presidents, current and former,  had all endorsed NAMBLA (National Man Boy Love Association).  "Clinton, George Bush SR. Reagan and Carter all endorsing NAMBLA, what's this nation coming to?" 

The talk show host thought she was off her rocker and just hung up.  He never figured out that her hearing was bad.  She thought NAFTA (North American Free Trade Act) was NAMBLA.

Does Red Cross Blood Drive discriminate?

March 18 2004

A few days ago, I heard a radio talk show about some controversy brewing at Western Oregon University, located in Monmouth, OR.  There is a proposal before the student council to not support a Red Cross blood drive on campus because folks who have had "gay sex" are not allowed to donate blood.  Some feel this is discrimination while others feel it is a prudent safety step to protect the blood supply from HIV. 

I posted a "middle of the road" type of response to their forum found on the web.  Here is what I said.

Banning the Red Cross from campus seems a bit too confrontational, but I think the Red Cross should be encouraged to improve their screening questions.  Gay sex is kind of a broad category that a lot of things are lumped into.  Some of these activities are risky while others are not. 

I would be worried about a shortage of blood donors since quite a few people may be weeded out of the donor pool needlessly. 

Some folks define gay sex as nothing more than intense cuddling or mutual masturbation with no intercourse.  More specific questioning would help.  Questions like what type of sex is involved?   How long has it been, since the sex event, that one has been tested for HIV? 

I know this makes for a longer questionnaire, but those who haven't had sex could skip over that part.  Also I know a lot of people are prudish, about discussing these things, but one can say, “information is power.” 

There could be a shortage of blood donors caused by uncertainty over whether people should donate.  Many folks have had something that could be classified as “gay sex,” but not all of those people are at risk.  Both gay and straight people can be at risk.  More specific information about the type of sexual behavior involved and history of HIV testing would be helpful.

The Canadian provence of British Columbia has a ferry system connecting Vancouver Island to the mainland.  It crosses Georgia Straight.  Several years ago, I hear their slogan was "BC Ferries, we cruise the straights."

My letter to the editor about Condom Awareness Week 

Your article on dating in the 1990s was informative.  We should not fear open discussion of sexual alternatives in the classroom.  Sexual activity is a risky behavior.  This is all the more reason to talk about things openly.  Driving cars is risky also.  This doesn't mean we should ban driver's education in the schools because it might encourage people to take the risk of driving.  Sex education is one tool in the battle for AIDS prevention.  Another tool is advocating abstinence from sex.  The two strategies are often seen as being in conflict, but both approaches should be working together.  Different strategies work for different people and no one solution can work for everyone. 

For some people, discussing sex in the classroom might lead to abstinence.  This is because anything discussed in a classroom becomes boring.  Possibly the way to promote teen-age abstinence is to start talking the subject of sexual alternatives to death in a classroom setting.  This strategy seems to work in cooling people's desire for history and math. 

I hope condom awareness week succeeds in getting people to think about issues that are normally hidden from rational discussion.