Ban on Gay Sperm Has Members Taking Matters into Own Hands

ROCKVILLE, MD- Long Island residents Joey Mirras and Sandy McAvoy, domestic
partners of 14 years, have never considered themselves "activists" and
have little interest in politics. But that was before the Food and Drug
Administration made its controversial decision to ban gay men from donating
sperm to local sperm banks. The FDA’s move, says Mirras, left them with
bad tastes in their mouths, and prompted them to put out a "call-to-arms" among
their extensive network of gay and straight friends. "We weren’t going
to take this lying down," says Mirras, whose movement called "Act
Up, Jack Off" is now gaining national attention.

Last week’s decision
by the Food and Drug Administration to ban gay men from donating to sperm
banks has angered many in the gay community,
prompting some members to take matters into their own hands. A "call-to-arms" resulted
in hundreds of semen samples being sent to the FDA’s Rockville, MD, headquarters. Protest
organizers are praising this ‘outpouring of support’

from the Swift Report