The 1980s Called. They Want Their Bigotry Back.

The FDA is working to drop the discriminatory ban on sperm donation by gay men.

Excerpt: “Big news. Since the 1980s, the FDA has imposed a flat ban on anonymous sperm donation by sexually active gay and bisexual men. How does that work? Well, when the FDA screens potential sperm donors, it prohibits anonymous donations by any man who acknowledges having sex with another man during the previous five years. In other words, when you saw those ads in your college newspaper offering cash for your sperm donation, those weren’t open to gay and bisexual men. But recently, on April 4, 2024, the Wall Street Journal broke the long overdue news that the FDA was working on removing the ban. Given all of the progress on other LGBTQ+ issues in recent years, it’s honestly a little shocking that this artifact of the 1980s still survives in 2024.”

Ellen Trachman is the Managing Attorney of Trachman Law Center, LLC, and a regular contributor to the ‘AboveTheLaw’ platform.