District of Columbia
Local gay couple among first to donate blood under new FDA policy
Revised rules ease restrictions for gay, bi men
A gay couple from Reston, Va., became one of the first gay or bisexual men in the D.C. area to donate blood on Aug. 7, on the first day that the American Red Cross implemented the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new guidelines for blood donor eligibility.
The new guidelines, approved by the FDA on May 11, ease longstanding restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men that had effectively prevented people from donating blood based on their sexual orientation.
The two men, Doug Anderson, 51, a longtime Red Cross employee, and Dan Bennett, 56, a senior director for the Medallia personnel management and software company, said they were delighted to finally become eligible to donate blood.
“There’s so much of a need for blood,” Anderson told the Washington Blade. “So, it’s really nice to be included so we can also give back to this life-saving mission,” he said.
“I was able to give blood previously and it’s been many, many years since I’ve been able to give,” Bennett said. “This is something that I feel very proud to be able to do and to represent our community.”
The previous FDA policy that has just been replaced required men who have sex with men [MSM] to abstain from sex for three months before they would be eligible to donate blood.
The new policy, according to a statement released by the FDA in May, eliminates time-based deferrals for donating blood and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men and women who have sex with MSM.
The FDA statement says the new policy puts in place a screening process that asks all prospective donors regardless of their sexual orientation to answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine their eligibility for blood donation.
“The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” the statement quotes Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, as saying.
But the FDA’s blood donor policy change also puts in place restrictions based on certain sexual activity that applies to everyone, not just gay or bisexual men.
“All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months, would be deferred to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection,” the statement says.
“Additionally, under these final recommendations, those taking medication to treat or prevent HIV infection (e.g., antiretroviral therapy (ART), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), will be deferred” from donating blood, the statement continues.
“Though these antiretroviral drugs are safe, effective, and an important public health tool, the available data demonstrate that their use may delay detection of HIV by currently licensed screening tests for blood donations, which may potentially give false negative results,” it says.
An FDA spokesperson said the deferral will be for three months after someone discontinues the PrEP and PEP medications and three months after someone who had engaged in anal sex with a new or more than one sex partner. All donors must also have a negative test result for HIV infection.
Anderson and Bennett said a diverse group of people joined them in turning out to donate blood on Aug. 7 at the Red Cross headquarters building at 430 17th St., N.W., near the White House.
“When the Red Cross announced it would be the first to implement that new policy, I talked to my husband Dan about it,” Anderson said. “And I kind of teased him. I said I think it’s ‘bring your husband to work day.”
Anderson noted that he works at the D.C. Red Cross headquarters building where blood donation drives are often held and where the building was host to the blood donations of Aug. 7.
“And I wondered if he would come with me on the very first day of eligibility to donate blood together, because it was something I didn’t think we would ever see in our lifetime,” he said.
Bennett enthusiastically agreed to join his husband in donating blood on that day. He noted that Red Cross officials arranged for a crew to capture some of those, including he and his husband, on video as they donated blood. The video is part of an effort to inform the public that people who were ineligible to give blood can now do so.
“So, to be part of this, to be able to get that message out there and awareness – it’s really important,” he told the Blade. “So, I believe this will educate people more and drive them out to want to give blood and to participate.”
A New Era in Blood Donation from American Red Cross on Vimeo.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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