confusticated
Oct. 5th, 2001 04:06 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
thingie.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
transI also posted this in my journal, but thought Id share it here too.
went to donate blood but couldnt, cause of my answer to one of the questions.
Well, the first problem was that the woman did not ask me the entire question to begin with. She said "Have you had sex with a male even once since 1977?" Now if I had thought about this for a second, I would have realized that the stipulation here was that if I was a MALE and had sex with a man since 1977. But I just stared blankly and said "uh yes."
So after I answered all the questions she said I couldnt donate because of that. Still not understanding what the issue was behind that question, (am unusually thick today) I asked "So do you mean that anyone who has had sex with a man, male or female, since 1977 cant donate blood?"
"No, only if you are a man"
"Oh, uh, ok. Well, Im not really a man. I mean, if its the anal sex thing thats the issue. I should be ok. I used to be a woman." So she went to get the head nurse to talk to me.
While she was gone I looked at the page. Ooooh it says If you are MALE and have had sex with a man even once since 1977... Well, if she had asked me the entire question, or if I had been a bit quicker on the uptake and had bothered to read between the lines, I would have simply answered "no" because technically, as far as the FDA is concerned, that is the correct answer.
But since I was a bit slow today, I now had to go through this whole shuck and jive about trying to explain that I answered the question wrong and why I answered it wrong. I mean, for most people, its a simple yes or no answer. If you are a guy, sex with a man is always on the b-side, but I also have an a-side.The other problem was, nobody there was really sure what the issue was behind that particular question, besides the "Its in the regulations to ask" I mean, I could guess, but I sure didnt know for sure. Was it anal sex related as I had initially suspected, or exposure to a specific demographic of men? (which still woudlnt count because the guy I had sex with was "straight" ha ha, yeah right.) I mean, thats just two of the possibilities. So in addition, I didnt know what particular issue I could put to rest in their minds.
So the head nurse was like "put the anal vs. vaginal sex related thing aside for a second" (awww do I have to?) "were you a male when you had sex with another man?"
"Uhmmm, well, as far as the FDA is concerned, I will never be male, so no."
"So you were female when you had sex with this man?"
"No."
"?"
"Uh, I mean, I wasnt female, I was transsexual when I had sex with this guy. But even though I consider myself male, biologically Im female. You know, two x chromosones, uterus, still have F on drivers lisence, coudlnt be put in a men's prison cell if I got arrested." (or at least I hope not) "But it was protected sex anyway, and was vaginal. so what is the problem?" (there I go, bringing it back to butt sex again.) "I have never had a man's penis in my butt." (couple of other things, in addition to the TV remote falling up there every so often, but not that.)
"The only thing that is relevant is if you were male when you had sex with this man."
"Thats impossible, I cant be male as far as the government is concerned. I cant marry a woman, I cant be drafted, etc etc"
"Uhm, Im kind of confused about what you are saying." (thats ok, Im confused about what the FDA really wants to know.) "So let me get in touch with the director"
Pretty much goes the same way with director. Saying stuff like, "the government thing and the vaginal vs. anal thing is irrelevant, as a MALE, did you have sex with this man?"
Well, I certainly wasnt a female, but I wasnt "male" either, so what should I say? I guess I could have lied and said it was when I was a chick. Im not sure why I didnt consider that. "Uhm, I had sex with this guy as a transsexual"
"Its a yes or no answer."
"Why?"
"Its regulations" oh those again.
So I said, "I basically looked like how I look now when it happened."
"Then you cant donate"
"Ok, I have a question though."
"Yes?"
"If an MTF came in here, and had been having continuous unprotected sex with men after she became a woman (pre or post op), would she be eligable to donate?"
They didnt have an answer for that. I wonder if the FDA does? Somehow I doubt it.
Im still not sure why they have that question anyway, even with setting the whole transsexual thing aside. So EVERY single man who has had sex with any men since 1977, even if it was protected, and even if they still test negative for HIV and every other STD out there to this day, still couldnt donate? That doenst make any sense to me. Maybe Im just really dense or something.
went to donate blood but couldnt, cause of my answer to one of the questions.
Well, the first problem was that the woman did not ask me the entire question to begin with. She said "Have you had sex with a male even once since 1977?" Now if I had thought about this for a second, I would have realized that the stipulation here was that if I was a MALE and had sex with a man since 1977. But I just stared blankly and said "uh yes."
So after I answered all the questions she said I couldnt donate because of that. Still not understanding what the issue was behind that question, (am unusually thick today) I asked "So do you mean that anyone who has had sex with a man, male or female, since 1977 cant donate blood?"
"No, only if you are a man"
"Oh, uh, ok. Well, Im not really a man. I mean, if its the anal sex thing thats the issue. I should be ok. I used to be a woman." So she went to get the head nurse to talk to me.
While she was gone I looked at the page. Ooooh it says If you are MALE and have had sex with a man even once since 1977... Well, if she had asked me the entire question, or if I had been a bit quicker on the uptake and had bothered to read between the lines, I would have simply answered "no" because technically, as far as the FDA is concerned, that is the correct answer.
But since I was a bit slow today, I now had to go through this whole shuck and jive about trying to explain that I answered the question wrong and why I answered it wrong. I mean, for most people, its a simple yes or no answer. If you are a guy, sex with a man is always on the b-side, but I also have an a-side.The other problem was, nobody there was really sure what the issue was behind that particular question, besides the "Its in the regulations to ask" I mean, I could guess, but I sure didnt know for sure. Was it anal sex related as I had initially suspected, or exposure to a specific demographic of men? (which still woudlnt count because the guy I had sex with was "straight" ha ha, yeah right.) I mean, thats just two of the possibilities. So in addition, I didnt know what particular issue I could put to rest in their minds.
So the head nurse was like "put the anal vs. vaginal sex related thing aside for a second" (awww do I have to?) "were you a male when you had sex with another man?"
"Uhmmm, well, as far as the FDA is concerned, I will never be male, so no."
"So you were female when you had sex with this man?"
"No."
"?"
"Uh, I mean, I wasnt female, I was transsexual when I had sex with this guy. But even though I consider myself male, biologically Im female. You know, two x chromosones, uterus, still have F on drivers lisence, coudlnt be put in a men's prison cell if I got arrested." (or at least I hope not) "But it was protected sex anyway, and was vaginal. so what is the problem?" (there I go, bringing it back to butt sex again.) "I have never had a man's penis in my butt." (couple of other things, in addition to the TV remote falling up there every so often, but not that.)
"The only thing that is relevant is if you were male when you had sex with this man."
"Thats impossible, I cant be male as far as the government is concerned. I cant marry a woman, I cant be drafted, etc etc"
"Uhm, Im kind of confused about what you are saying." (thats ok, Im confused about what the FDA really wants to know.) "So let me get in touch with the director"
Pretty much goes the same way with director. Saying stuff like, "the government thing and the vaginal vs. anal thing is irrelevant, as a MALE, did you have sex with this man?"
Well, I certainly wasnt a female, but I wasnt "male" either, so what should I say? I guess I could have lied and said it was when I was a chick. Im not sure why I didnt consider that. "Uhm, I had sex with this guy as a transsexual"
"Its a yes or no answer."
"Why?"
"Its regulations" oh those again.
So I said, "I basically looked like how I look now when it happened."
"Then you cant donate"
"Ok, I have a question though."
"Yes?"
"If an MTF came in here, and had been having continuous unprotected sex with men after she became a woman (pre or post op), would she be eligable to donate?"
They didnt have an answer for that. I wonder if the FDA does? Somehow I doubt it.
Im still not sure why they have that question anyway, even with setting the whole transsexual thing aside. So EVERY single man who has had sex with any men since 1977, even if it was protected, and even if they still test negative for HIV and every other STD out there to this day, still couldnt donate? That doenst make any sense to me. Maybe Im just really dense or something.
