Help replenish critically low blood stores
and
Bring attention to restrictions on Queer donations!

Donors and volunteers will enjoy appearances by DeKalb’s finest drag entertainers, Moana Lotte’s Barb City Babes, and will also be entered for a chance to win gift cards to DeKalb restaurants and bars.

SIGN UP TO DONATE
Please take a moment to sign up for a donation time. By signing up beforehand, you help us plan for a successful event!

Click here or use the QR code below to access our sign-up portal on Versiti’s website.

Make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating. Photo ID & mask are required.

You DO NOT NEED the Covid-19 vaccine in order to donate. You are also eligible to donate if you receive a Covid-19 vaccine on or before 4/20/22.

Not sure whether you can donate? Click here for Versiti’s FAQ page and scroll down to “Eligibility”.

THE CURRENT BLOOD SHORTAGE
“The American Red Cross says the nation is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade, citing a drop in blood drives due to the pandemic,” (npr.org, January 2022).

By donating blood, you can help, “Trauma victims, surgery patients, premature babies, and people with anemia” (versiti.org).

“One pint of blood can save up to three lives” (givingblood.org).

RESTRICTIONS ON QUEER DONORS
In the jargon of the medical world, “men who have sex with men” (“MSM”s, for short), must abstain from sex for three months before donating blood. Restrictions on donations from “MSM”s—as well as women who have sex with “MSM”s—date back to the early days of the HIV crisis, when the virus was not well-understood. Since then, testing, prevention, and treatment of HIV and AIDS have improved significantly.

All blood collected during drives is tested for HIV/AIDS, and multiple other pathogens and diseases.

Major blood centers and blood banks, including the American Red Cross, agree: donor eligibility should not be based on sexuality.

Listen to QORRN founder Frankie DiCiaccio’s perspective on WNIJ to learn more.

DRIVE HOSTS AND COLLABORATORS