Red Cross New Gender Of Birth Rule

[Monica_Jennifer]

A FTM who is also a Gender Therapist on the sites Gender_Therapist list and whom communicates with me often asked that I post this to the Forums here at Lauras-Playground for him as he is not a member of the forums here and did not have time to learn how to join and post. He wishes folks to be warned of a new policy that the red cross now has over blood donations. He however wishes I not list his name and as you read on to see his text in quotes you will see his reasons why. I will post his text after I sign my name to this header.

Monica_Jennifer

-=== The Dr's Text ===-

"I went to the Red Cross on Friday to donate blood for the Haiti crisis. I'd given once before almost a year earlier. I went in with the card they'd already issued to me assuming it would be easy. They ask some medical questions in an interview. Among the first several was "what is your gender?" followed up next by "what gender were you born?"

--

I decided not to continue the process because I did not want that information in a national Red Cross data base. They were unable to accept the blood donation without having that question answered into their computer system so I left. The staff was very kind but helpless to do anything about the new question that has been added to the protocol. In fact, the supervisor said I was not the first person with whom they'd had this situation.

--

Just thought I'd save some others the grief of having to deal with the issue. Sad that they won't get the blood that they need right now but I just am not willing to have more data like that out in the ether when I have no idea who has access or when they might change the rules and give that data to other companies, etc."

-=== End of the Dr's Text ===-

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hi Monica,

For the Red Cross to ask one's gender in the first place makes no sense, let alone indentified gender vs biological gender. Blood type is essentially genderless from a blood processing point of view. When blood is taken to be used in medicine, it is broken down into it's basic components, and then combined with other donors. By the time a patient recieves a blood transfusion, they are not receiving blood from a single donor. It is in only unusual cases that whole blood from a single donor is given.

Puzzling?

Brenda

[Paula ult]

My partner is FtM and until December was donating plasma twice a week, he is not on T or had any surgeries but he informed the doctor at the center that sometime in the future he was going to transition, they immediately banned him from giving plasma on the grounds of intent.

Paula

[Monica_Jennifer]

Hi Monica,

For the Red Cross to ask one's gender in the first place makes no sense, let alone indentified gender vs biological gender. Blood type is essentially genderless from a blood processing point of view. When blood is taken to be used in medicine, it is broken down into it's basic components, and then combined with other donors. By the time a patient recieves a blood transfusion, they are not receiving blood from a single donor. It is in only unusual cases that whole blood from a single donor is given.

Puzzling?

Brenda

Bernii / Brenda :

All that aside .. 5 years ago when I gave blood for the one and only time to the red cross .. I was forced to use a gender test on the blood .. with a vial that has a liquid that will make male blood float near top and female blood settle to a lower level in vial. It tests the iron content. Anyhow when a few drops of blood were dropped in it from a pin prick to my finger .. at first they danced at top and then went right to bottom. That test proves two things that yes I spent some time under influence of testosterone in my life but now due to HRT have female blood in my veins with a higher iron content. The higher iron content is caused in the case of MTF by the fact that HRT makes our system mimic a normal females replacement factor for what she bleeds out monthly. But, since we dont have a uterus, we dont bleed it out. So our iron content is normally higher than even a gg or a gm has. It's a weird thing but they feel they need to indicate that on blood what the gender of doner was. In my case I was ok with the test as it got me listed as Female in their database back then .. but I wont donate again for two reasons : 1.) I did not like the weak feeling that donating gave me .. I actually got sick to my stomache the evening I donated 5 years ago. 2.) the questions the doc got asked are also now asked in Connecticut where I live and like him I dont wish to indicate birth gender which in my case was intersexxed. I was operated on at a week old and raised male before I got to start HRT 14 years ago. So yeah I dont wish to indicate my origins in a national database thats like the doc said could later get shared by some change in rules or laws. It's no one elses business what my origins are except for where I choose to tell of it.

Monica_Jennifer

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Scary stuff Monica

Makes me worried about the true motive behind those questions that the blood bank is asking. I may sound paranoid, but I wonder who decided that the Red Cross should ask such questions, and why did they think it was a good idea.

I totally agree with you hon that no one should ever give out gender information like that to anyone but trusted people (defintely not to strangers!)

Anyway, I thank you for pointing this out. I hope that no one accidently falls into this trap and answers the questions only to be outed by people who do not understand.

HUGS

Brenda

[Guest Janis]

Paula,

The exact same thing happened to me. I donated 2 times per week for some extra pocket money. In April when I started HRT I told them the drugs I was taking. Foolishly I said I am trans and I am in the transition process. I was immediately banned. The reason, "It is the risk that you will have sex with another man." Never mind that when I started my review i was asked about my wife and family. I had written the company and have yet to hear a reply.

Janis

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

Well if the reason is really because they assume our blood is diseased because we probably had sex with a man that is stupid. I haven't had sex since 2008 and I've only been attracted to women. I'm lesbian. Even the trans people that have had sex with a man who cares so have straight women. The men having sex with trans women are the same ones having it with straight girls because gay men aren't interested in us. Maybe like 20 years ago mostly gay men had it but now it's mostly straight people anyways.

I would just not tell them. It's none of their business, doesn't effect anything and I know I don't have diseases. Plus my blood is even O negative and in high demand. If they asked if I was born a woman I would say yes. As far as I'm concerned I was, I may have been born XXY so technically I was born physically neither and mentally female. I've never considered myself male even when I played the part. So it's not lying to me. Also it's helping people get blood that need it so the way I see it, it is the right thing to do. Don't let their discriminatory practices keep you from helping people.

If there was some problem or risk with giving someone XXY blood then of course I would tell them. Chromosomes don't matter though and their only reasoning is that I might have had sex with a man with HIV. Not for any reasoning other then the wrong stereotype that we are high risk sex addicts in the gay community. Like I said I'm lesbian too but that still doesn't keep them from using that stereotype. I would just find the question so offensive and unreasonable.

[Guest NatalieRene]

Paula,

The exact same thing happened to me. I donated 2 times per week for some extra pocket money. In April when I started HRT I told them the drugs I was taking. Foolishly I said I am trans and I am in the transition process. I was immediately banned. The reason, "It is the risk that you will have sex with another man." Never mind that when I started my review i was asked about my wife and family. I had written the company and have yet to hear a reply.

Janis

So a future risk that has nothing to do with the present is enough for them to ban someone from donating blood. I guess beggars can be choosers. Thats what happens when politics is involved.

[Guest Amanda joan]

The last time I gave blood they told me that I may be at risk for mad cow disease. I was like what the heck are you talking about. They said that since I was in Europe in 1986 that I could be a carrier. Then I told them that the only thing I bought off the ship was beer. It is so crazy. We are all human beings. Blood is blood, especially when you need a transfusion. I have had sex with and man and so has my ex-Wife. So which one of us is in better health? I guess she is because she was born a woman physically. That makes no sense at all. But we are talking about the Red Cross they have made allot of boneheaded decisions in the pass, so I guess nothing has changed there.

Peace & Love Amanda

[Guest SusanKG]

I used to be a regular donor, but the medication for my high blood pressure disqualified me from giving, so I don't face this issue. I hope I can still get blood! My first reaction is "blood is blood, what's the difference?" but I suspect it does make a difference in typing bio male vs. bio female blood, not some sort of find-the-trannys campaign. Come to think of it, if bio female blood IS different, maybe I should get a complete transfusion! Any medical background people out there with some scientific answer?

SusanKG

[Guest Karin]

Gender should be irrelevant when it comes to transfusing blood. When I was trained up on how to do a battlefield transfusion it was never brought up that there were differences in male to female blood making cross gender transfusions contraindicated. The procedure in that type of environment is very risky and obviously only used as a last resort, but of all the risks I was taught about it gender never came up.

From what I've read above the only difference between genders when it comes to blood is females have a higher iron content. If that's the only difference then there's no reason a female can't receive a transfusion originating from a male and vice versa.

Karin

[Guest Sunshine]

When blood is taken to be used in medicine, it is broken down into it's basic components, and then combined with other donors. By the time a patient recieves a blood transfusion, they are not receiving blood from a single donor. It is in only unusual cases that whole blood from a single donor is given.

As a Hematologist for 6 years, working in blood banking for 2 years, I see where you might have gotten that impression though.

Red blood cells are VERY closely tracked. Though at one time, there were a few places that pooled blood donations, even China has stopped the practice (there was an HIV epidemic started because of it which they still deny causing). In the 90's, here in the US a huge amount of the frozen blood pool had to be destroyed because it had been pooled and could not be traced back to individual donors.

Plasma is still pooled, but anything with cells in it (red cells, platelets) are traced VERY closely.

In addition, there are more blood types than the ABO, and RH +/- that most people know about. Off the top of my head I can think of about 20-30. A couple of these other blood groups are gender specific.

The danger is from the possibility that a person that has received a blood product once, may develop antibodies which could cause a bad reaction to a second exposure to blood of the same type. (Nobody talks much about it, but it can also cause a higher risk of miscarriages).

There is no hidden agenda in asking the questions. They just want to make sure that when an individual develops a reaction to one or more types of blood, they have a better chance of finding a good match.

Sometimes it is REALLY hard to find a match for someone that has received a lot of transfusions in the past. How ironic would it be if not listing your birth gender put someone's life at risk?

Ignorance can kill sometimes.

This is not an instance of conspiracy, it is just complicated immunology that takes a while to explain. Most phlebotomists (the people drawing the blood) are not taught all of this in detail. They don't need to know it in order to take blood.

My immunology books are in storage, or I would look up the gender blood groups and post them. Also, I think there was something specific with regard to Epstein Barr Virus issues involving gender as well, but it has been more than 10 years since I read the article.

I hope this clears up some confusion.

Love & Light,

HM2 Sunshine (ex USN)

[Guest Donna Jean]

No one has brought up the fact yet that one antiandorgen that many of us MTF's take is Finistride (sp?).

It's something that pregnant women CANNOT have in there bloodstream...

It even says on the bottle for them not to even handle it!

....considered unadvisable if women of pregnancy age are in the household; this is because finasteride, even in small concentrations, can cause birth defects in a developing male fetus. The birth defects involve the development of male genitalia (no such effects have been noted in developing female fetuses). On most product inserts, it will be mentioned that the dust or crumbs from broken Proscar tablets should be kept away from pregnant women.

So here is one real reason to be cautious!

HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Guest Ryles_D]

Needing to know what medication (including HRT) we're on- I can understand. If there are sex-specific things that HRT doesn't change, then I can understand needing to know that. But if a person hasn't transitioned at all/isn't on HRT, then why does it matter?!

Like Paula's partner- banned on the grounds of intent? Intent to what? I'm sure if they made it clear he'd need to tell them before he started on T, he would have done so, but in the mean time that's blood & plasma that someone could use. And Janis- banned on the grounds of "clearly you're just a confused, oversexed homo"? That is offensive.

[Guest Donna Jean]

I totally agree with you, Hon............

And the sadder part of the whole thing is that we're trying to help out with our donations and giving our very lifeblood..

Yes..

And Janis- banned on the grounds of "clearly you're just a confused, oversexed homo"? That is offensive.

That IS offensive...VERY!

You make good points, Hon...real good....

Thanks...

Donna Jean

[Guest Janis]

So a future risk that has nothing to do with the present is enough for them to ban someone from donating blood

In my case yes it is. I was told by the doctor and a company rep that "even though you are in a monogamous relationship and your medication does not preclude you, bbecause of your lifestyle choice you are considered a high risk donor. For that reason we must permanatly prohibit you from donation."

Then stop calling me asking for my O neg. Do not bother my family either since they have my crossdresser cooties.

Janis

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

I guess they could be valid reasons for wanting to know. If you presented as male for instance but had previously given birth I believe your blood contains traces of certain anti bodies and things. I don't know if that actually affects a transfusion but I guess they have to be care.

The sex with a man thing is beyond pathetic, even if you are a gay man having sex with another gay man, there is no increased risk of anything, the increased risk comes from a risky lifestyle, drug use, unprotected sex, statistically gay people make a larger section of that group, but any specific individual isn't any more or less likely to be carring a disease just because of their orientation.

[Bulldog1948]

As a Hematologist for 6 years, working in blood banking for 2 years, I see where you might have gotten that impression though.

Red blood cells are VERY closely tracked. Though at one time, there were a few places that pooled blood donations, even China has stopped the practice (there was an HIV epidemic started because of it which they still deny causing). In the 90's, here in the US a huge amount of the frozen blood pool had to be destroyed because it had been pooled and could not be traced back to individual donors.

Plasma is still pooled, but anything with cells in it (red cells, platelets) are traced VERY closely.

In addition, there are more blood types than the ABO, and RH +/- that most people know about. Off the top of my head I can think of about 20-30. A couple of these other blood groups are gender specific.

The danger is from the possibility that a person that has received a blood product once, may develop antibodies which could cause a bad reaction to a second exposure to blood of the same type. (Nobody talks much about it, but it can also cause a higher risk of miscarriages).

There is no hidden agenda in asking the questions. They just want to make sure that when an individual develops a reaction to one or more types of blood, they have a better chance of finding a good match.

Sometimes it is REALLY hard to find a match for someone that has received a lot of transfusions in the past. How ironic would it be if not listing your birth gender put someone's life at risk?

Ignorance can kill sometimes.

This is not an instance of conspiracy, it is just complicated immunology that takes a while to explain. Most phlebotomists (the people drawing the blood) are not taught all of this in detail. They don't need to know it in order to take blood.

My immunology books are in storage, or I would look up the gender blood groups and post them. Also, I think there was something specific with regard to Epstein Barr Virus issues involving gender as well, but it has been more than 10 years since I read the article.

I hope this clears up some confusion.

Love & Light,

HM2 Sunshine (ex USN)

Thank you for the more indepth explanation. I had no idea that the transfusion thing was so complicated. The Red Cross needs to add a short explanation on their forms. That way the prospective donors would know exactly why they were not allowed to donate instead a a "get lost you weirdo" attitude.

Mike

[Guest TheAetherealMeadow]

In my case yes it is. I was told by the doctor and a company rep that "even though you are in a monogamous relationship and your medication does not preclude you, bbecause of your lifestyle choice you are considered a high risk donor. For that reason we must permanatly prohibit you from donation."

Then stop calling me asking for my O neg. Do not bother my family either since they have my crossdresser cooties.

Janis

Wow... That's an outrage! Not only is the law that bars MSMs (men who have sex with men) from donating blood ridiculous, but the fact that the doctor not only denied your gender identity by considering you a man, but also the fact that (s)he assumed that just because you are trans you must also be sexually promiscuous is beyond prejudiced. This really shows the unfortunate amount of homophobia and transphobia that still exists in healthcare.