Life

Exhibition showcases gay donors’ banned blood

Sculpture uses blood from nine gay, bisexual, and transgender men to protest FDA ban.
By BRETT ZONGKER | Associated Press
Exhibition showcases gay donors’ banned blood
This handout photo provided by American University/Jordan Eagles shows Eagles seven-foot-tall sculpture that includes the blood of nine gay, bisexual and transgender men.
This handout photo provided by American University/Jordan Eagles shows Eagles seven-foot-tall sculpture that includes the blood of nine gay, bisexual and transgender men. American University/Jordan Eagles/Leo Herrera via AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington museum will exhibit a sculpture that uses the blood of nine gay, bisexual and transgender men to protest the federal ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

The American University Museum will showcase Jordan Eagles’ sculpture, entitled “Jordan Eagles: Blood Mirror,” in an exhibit opening Sept. 12. It includes blood donations encased in resin.

Blood for the exhibit came from nine accomplished people who are banned from donating blood. Eagles is known for using blood in his artwork.

The Food and Drug Administration instituted a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men in 1983 in response to the AIDS crisis. This year, the FDA proposed an updated policy allowing donations from gay men who have not had sex with another man in the last year.

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