Beaches Tropicana welcomed UCLA Blood & Platelet staff on Feb. 21. (photo courtesy of Beaches Tropicana)

Just two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration lifted its life-time ban on gay and bisexual men from donating blood. The restriction went into effect in 1983, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic was beginning to peak throughout the community. Even until 2023, screening questions included prompts requesting a per-son’s sexual orientation.

Now, the forums leave orientation out of the equation, asking instead questions regarding sexual contact within three months. While some restrictions remain in place – specif-ically related to new sexual partners and the number of sexual partners – it is now unilateral for all people, not just gay and bisexual men. The three-month window correlates with the maximum window it typically takes a person to test positive for HIV.

On Feb. 21, Beaches Tropicana broke new ground by partnering with UCLA Blood & Platelet Center and the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to host a blood drive, in the center of West Hollywood’s famed Rainbow District.

“Beaches Tropicana aims to be more than just an entertainment cen-ter in WeHo,” managing partner Jacob Shaw said. “We want to be a place where our community can come together. Being part of this blood drive is important to us and we are thrilled to help in any way we can.”

“The UCLA Blood & Platelet Center is thrilled to be in the heart of West Hollywood at Beaches Tropicana to join forces with the LGBTQ+ community while helping the greater Los Angeles blood sup-ply,” director of the center Eric M. DeCair said.

Dozens showed up to donate, which UCLA said would impact 36 lives.

“Our community always steps up to help our neighbors and is always willing to go the extra mile for the greater good,” Mayor Chelsea Byers said.

UCLA Blood & Platelet Center community liaison Terri Hill said that it was a important step forward to have severed the ban.

“It is very positive to release the restrictions from such a diverse group of people that shouldn’t and wouldn’t have the same lifestyles that would be of concern [except] for the one fact that they are all homo-sexual men. The new guidelines also follow the most recent science of testing timelines for HIV. The new guidelines also are inclusive of all donors whether they be male or female to answer the same ques-tions, opening up to the possibility of a female being restricted for the same reason a homosexual male might be. This actually means that the screening of the blood will be even safer,” Hill said.

She added that having a blood drive in the Rainbow District helps to shine a spotlight on the updated guidelines.

“We are thrilled to be able to spread the information about the new guide-lines for blood donation to be more inclusive of communities such as the gay community to be able to donate again. Especially, here in our back-yard, so to speak, in West Hollywood. The new guidelines also allow Europeans to donate, who were previ-ously restricted because of mad cow disease and we had two tourists visit-ing from England and Poland that stopped to donate,” Hill said.