My high school had a yearly blood drive. It was a big deal, with a rally and posters and t-shirts, and the people who donated wore the little "I Donated!" stickers and were heroes for a day. I was one of the few in my grade old enough to give, so I did. I got the t-shirt, ate the cookies, wore the sticker. But I remember when the sweet little nurse got to that question: "Are you a man who has had sex with another man anytime since 1977?" she asked. I was. "No," I lied. And she took my blood.

I knew the question was coming. I remember the guilt I felt, sitting on the donation table, feeling woozy, watching my thick red life liquid a bag. I remember the anger that came after. If they don't want my blood, I thought, then I just won't give it to them! Nearly a decade later, I haven't given, and I'm not allowed to without lying. But I want to give, and I want to give honestly.

Sen. John Kerry and 18 other senators want me to, too. The group asked the American blood banks to reconsider the nearly 30-year-old ban on gays giving blood back in March. "Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban," Kerry said. "A law that was once considered medically justified is today simply outdated and needs to end." The American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers, and the AABB-the country's three largest blood banks-also support the ban.

Finally, the FDA agreed to take up the issue at its Advisory Committee on Blood Safety & Availability meeting June 10-11 in Rockville, Md. But it's too early to get your hopes up-the FDA reconsidered in 2000 and 2006, meaning just four years ago it upheld the ban. The meeting is open to the public.

Kerry took another pointed jab at the rule: "A heterosexual who has had sex with a prostitute need only wait a year [before giving blood]. That does not strike me as a sound scientific conclusion" given that "gay men, including those who are in monogamous relationships, are forbidden from contributing blood for the rest of their lives." Holler back, John!

We understand why this rule was instated back in 1983. It was the height of HIV craziness, when AIDS was gay cancer here to wipe out heathen queers. But today, with testing technology scanning each and every pint of donated blood for disease, the argument lines up more with the anti-gay marriage argument: you say you want to protect the sanctity of marriage, but many gay people are doing a better job with that sanctity thing than, say, almost anyone famous. Our blood, too, is just as good as straight blood-maybe better! We know some gym-crazy organic vegan health nut queens whose blood might just be the elixir of life. So if you don't want that, world, then keep your irrational fears in place.

Joking aside, it's 2010, though, and as we gays are more and more accepted as real, living, thriving members of society-imagine that!-we want to be able to do things real, living, thriving members of society do. Like helping our fellow man by giving our blood.

Only five percent of the people eligible to donate blood do so, and with constant shortages, moves should be taken to take in as much blood as possible. Change.org has an easy petition urging the FDA to overturn the gay blood ban at it's website if you want to do your part before the June meeting.

Plus, you know we love a reason to rally-and a free t-shirt.