On Sunday, I gave two units of blood. I gave two units of blood because I am O+. I gave two because I am healthy enough, it won't affect me moving forward and because it saves lives.
On Sunday, my roommate Jordan didn't give two units of blood. He didn't do it because he doesn't have the right blood type. Or because he isn't healthy. Or that he doesn't want to help save lives.
Jordan did not donate blood because he is gay. And he is not allowed to.
Walking to the blood donation center on Sunday morning, the thoughts about this swirled around my head. I am completely for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Ever since living with Jordan, I have only strengthened my convictions that there is no right on Earth that belongs to straights and not gays. Fortunately, we live in a world that is slowly (emphasis on slowly) becoming more progressive and hopefully those battles won't even be an issue with my children.
I won't eat at Chick-fil-A anymore. I will buy more Oreos because of this Facebook post. And I will strongly consider not voting for a candidate based on their stance towards gay rights. But can I, in good conscious, refuse to donate blood because they won't allow gays to donate blood?
It's a double-edged sword. I want to continue giving blood, but I don't want to continue tacitly approving the discrimination against the gays. But I can't stop donating because that puts others at risk.
There is a time and a place to stand for your morals. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times. At the end of the day, giving blood to a person who really needs it has to come first.
But, with any luck, sometime in my life, I won't even have to think about it as I walk to the blood donation center.
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