One of them was a Lottery sign which usually lists how big the MegaMillions and Powerball lottery jackpots are. The slogan on it is something like "What would you do...?" (Honestly, I see it every time we drive that way and I have no idea what it says.) But, this week, since the MN State Lottery offices are closed as part of the shutdown, there are no numbers on the sign. It's just a big black space. Basically, the sign is telling us that there's no money. How ironic is that?
The other sign is a little weirder for me. It's a sign for the "Be The Match" marrow donor registry. It's a non-profit group which is trying to establish a marrow donor database in an attempt to match up people with blood diseases who might need transplants. I think they're an amazing group. I would sign up in a heartbeat. Heck. I've even looked into applying for work there.
But here's the thing: Because I'm a gay man, they won't take a donor application from me. They base this on the fact that the Red Cross won't take blood donations from gay men. Why? Because of an out-moded fear that all gay men have blood-borne illnesses.
Do they test every single sample of blood that comes through to make sure none of the blood is tainted? Yes. Would this catch just as many illnesses in gay men's blood as in anyone else's? Yes. Do they stop all African-American men from donating because they are the second-highest carrier group for some of the same diseases? No. Does this make any sense? No. Basically, it's just one more area of bigotry that refuses to go away.*
So, there you have them - within about a mile of each other - two signs of the times.
Here's hoping that - some day soon - those signs they will be a-changin'.
*I may not be thrilled with the business practices at BeTheMatch.org, but I do believe in what they are doing. If you're able to sign up to be a part of the registry, I think it would be a great thing to do. Tell them a gay man who would donate if they'd let him sent you.
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