DAP doctor recovers from virus, can’t donate plasma because of sexuality

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Dr. Foltz leads the Desert Aids Project’s COVID-19 Clinic and tested positive for the virus.

"I was very lucky I had very very minimal symptoms, not the classic symptoms most people have, a fever a cough," said Dr. Foltz.

After recovering, Foltz discovered he had antibodies and wanted to donate his plasma, but was stopped because of his sexuality.

"I was turned away because of being a gay man and it was unfortunate because I was one of the lucky people who had a very relatively mild disease course and good donate my plasma, but wasn’t able to," said Dr. Foltz.

These restrictions aren’t new, in 1983 the federal government banned gay men from giving blood to prevent the spread of HIV.

"Then they said in recent years it’s okay for gay men to give blood if you haven’t had sex in the past 12 months, they just recently changed that to three months, a lot of people still think this is homophobia," said Hank Plante, a journalist and NBC political correspondent.

Doctors with DAP think the ban based on sexuality is wasteful.

"It’s 30 or 40 years outdated. We have advanced technology to screen blood products, specifically HIV that there’s really no reason this ban should still exist and it’s unfortunate that it has taken COVID-19 or this pandemic to bring this back into light," said Foltz.

And experts say the restrictions limit who can donate, especially when it’s needed most.

"Only 38 percent of the people in America are allowed to give blood as it is because they’re eliminated for one reason or another. Now we’re in a public health crisis, so it’s even more imperative than ever that we take a look at this," said Plante.