Alan Cumming is taking a hard stance against the FDA’s blood donor policy discriminating against gay men, and his #celibacychallenge almost got him banned from Instagram.
The Good Wife actor created the #celibacychallenge to mock what critics call an unfair double standard against gay and bisexual men: If they want to donate blood, the FDA says they must abstain from sex for a year first.
More:7 Celebs use the Oscars red carpet to raise awareness for these 6 issues
More:Rose McGowan says gays love drugs more than equality
The goal of the tongue-in-cheek protest is “to pressure the FDA to change its questionnaire so donors are screened based on their exposure to risk and not their sexual orientation,” Cumming says. “So, no matter who you are, you can save lives.”
To further promote the campaign, the actor posted this… uh.. interesting shot to his Instagram page.
View this post on Instagram
He had to post it three times, though, because Instagram kept yanking it!
“Hey @Instagram I’d like more of an explanation about why this photo was just removed by you. Was it the photo itself or the language I used in the text? Either way I find it very surprising and rather alarming,” he wrote on attempt No. 2.
Attempt No. 3 was finally accepted: “Hooray! It’s been put back up! A victory for democracy and a defeat of puritanical hysteria! Please take the #celibacychallenge Celibacychallenge.com”
More:OITNB‘s Lea DeLaria puts homophobic preacher in his place (VIDEO)
Why is it such a big deal for gay men to have to abstain for a year before donating blood? Because straight men with similar or worse risk factors are not required to do the same. In fact, straight men who have had safe sex with multiple female partners in the last year are able to donate blood, but gay men who have had safe sex within a monogamous relationship can not.
As GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis says on the group’s website, “Stereotypes have no place in saving lives. The FDA’s proposed change still means that countless gay and bisexual men will be turned away from blood banks simply because of who they are.”
If you want to support Cumming’s and GLAAD’s fight and help gay men save more lives, you can sign the petition here.
Leave a Comment