Kinda Bitter~

[Guest Neil!]

So one of my New Years resolutions was to start donating plasma. There's this clinic a couple cities over that pays every time you donate and if I went twice a week, that would have added up to like $200 a month. I was gonna use it to save up for a car because for reals, I need a car, and if I can save lives at the same time, then good deal!

When I got there this morning and signed in, somehow they skipped over me and didn't put me in their system. Sooo I waited around for three hours until someone finally figured out something wasn't right. THEN after going through a bunch of questionnaires and being stabbed in the finger with a needle, I got to the last step before you actually get to donate. Halfway through the physical the doctor asked what medications I was taking and I mentioned being on testosterone as an afterthought, because hey it doesn't drastically affect my blood right? It shouldn't be a problem right?

Nooo, according to the giant book she pulled out, if you've had a "sex change" or anything similar than you're "permanently deferred" from ever donating blood.

Yea I'm kinda bitter~

The clinic's site lists a bunch of things that keep you from donating, like certain medications and certain conditions, and the place is filled with posters on the walls that go into even more detail, but HRT wasn't mentioned anywhere. I didn't know I couldn't go through with this until literally the last minute.

I wasted half my day, woo!

Somehow I got pizza out of the whole deal though, and cold pizza makes up for everything.

Seriously though, this is really lame.

I spent weeks looking forward to donating and then it blew up in my face in the span of ten seconds :l

[Carolyn Marie]

I know exactly how you feel, Neil.

I've donated gallons of blood over the last 25 years. I always felt it was meeting an obligation to society for very little inconvenience.

It made me feel good to do it.

After starting HRT, I discovered that taking Finesteride, a T-blocker, disqualifies me. I suppose there is a good reason for it, but it's disappointing anyway.

You get major credit in my book, Neil, for trying to do the right thing.

Carolyn Marie

[guest]

It might have to do with the assumption that sex change = gay.

Gay people are banned from giving blood (also if they suspect you are gay, such as crossdressers).

They claim it is because of "higher risk for aids", but that is actually just a cover for discrimination. They will turn you away if you have never had sex but still identify as gay.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I had heard this might be true. Stupid isn't it!

Lizzy

[Guest barton]

Wow that's...really stupid. I love giving donating blood. I didn't know that HRT could disqualify you. Then again, they do have some pretty stupid reasons for disqualifying some people (like being gay).

[Paula ult]

My ex who is ftm donated plasma, once he told them of his intentions to transition they said he could no longer donate, it is written in their manual and yes they assume just because we transition or are thinking about it that we are gay and do not have safe sex.

Paula

[Guest Deandra]

A person can't donate blood just because they're on HRT?! That's really dumb

Deandra

[Guest Leah1026]

Nooo, according to the giant book she pulled out, if you've had a "sex change" or anything similar than you're "permanently deferred" from ever donating blood.

Yea I'm kinda bitter~

You should be. The guidelines they use are a couple decades old and they refuse to bring them up to date. All gay people and trans people are ASSumed to have HIV/AIDS. Nevermind the group with the lowest HIV rate are gay women. And the fact that ALL blood is thoroughly tested. Another problem is many feds still believe the negative stereotypes that painted all of us (transsexual people) as sex workers, drug addicts or psychotic killers. :rolls eyes:

Carolyn is correct about Finasteride (aka Finpecia, Propecia). It causes a "certain birth defect" in babies. Anyone hazard a guess what that is? How about feminization. You read that right, it causes feminization in a male fetus.

Carolyn: Finasteride is not a "T-blocker", it is a DHT blocker. That's why it's prescribed for male pattern baldness, because that's caused by DHT. They tried using Finasteride as a T-blocker back in the 70's, but it was quickly replaced by Spiro and Androcur because they were MUCH more efficient.