BUFFALO, N.Y. -- For the second year in a row, the Red Cross hosted the Gay Alliance Blood Drive.
And for the second year in a row, the drive's organizer was not allowed to donate.
"The FDA states that a gay or bi-sexual man must remain abstinent from having any sexual contact with another man for 12 months before they are eligible to donate blood," said blood drive organizer Jordan Moll-Vigrass.
Moll-Vigrass said despite the policy, he organized the blood drive so that the LGBTQ community could help gather life-saving donations.
"I personally want to donate blood, because I have stage 3 fatty liver disease and one day I will need a transplant, for me it was just trying to pay it forward. This policy is very discriminatory and it leaves countless healthy people unable to do so," Moll-Vigrass said.
Moll-Vigrass is taking his charitable effort to the next level. He says he plans to stay celibate for one year to try to garner community support against the policy.
"I'm doing this to say 'hey, I'm doing this for you and the community so you can speak out and say something.' I can't change the policy myself but if we come together as a community we'll be able to encourage the change," said Moll-Vigrass.
In the meantime, Renee Boyarski, one of Jordan's friends, came out to make two blood donations — one for herself and one for Jordan.
"Supporting that is very important, because there are so many men that can't donate. We need to come out and donate for them. We desperately need blood products and to discriminate and not allow an entire group of people to donate blood is totally unfair," said Boyarski.
Moll-Vigrass says after his year of abstinence, he plans on donating at next year's blood drive.