We, the undersigned, call for the repeal of the ban on the acceptance of blood donations from men who have sex with men imposed by the Federal Food and Drug Administration in 1983. It is our belief that this policy is needlessly discriminatory, generalizing and ultimately homophobic. Beyond its prejudices, this policy endangers the lives of patients in need of life-saving blood transfusions, a problem exacerbated by an already severe shortage of donated blood. In the name of equal treatment and the general health of all American people, we speak out in solidarity.