I donated blood, once, just before the HIV hit. Wondered for years if I had killed someone. Wondered if I had been party to an event that did kill people, in fact.
Still have my nearly 40 year old blood donor card in my billfold, a reminder just easy it is for everything to go to hell.
Additionally, BION, I donated at a Gay Blood Drive in a Unitarian Church in the Chicago metro area. Probably '80-'81 time frame. Donating was fine, procedure went fast and wasn't uncomfortable. When HIV (wasn't called that, BTW, in that time frame, Gay Cancer, HTLV, and a few others) came around and they kept lengthening the amount of time one might be positive and not know it, it was a real issue for me. And the barest particle of relief occurred when I was tested as - in '87.
Still have my nearly 40 year old blood donor card in my billfold, a reminder just easy it is for everything to go to hell.
Additionally, BION, I donated at a Gay Blood Drive in a Unitarian Church in the Chicago metro area. Probably '80-'81 time frame. Donating was fine, procedure went fast and wasn't uncomfortable. When HIV (wasn't called that, BTW, in that time frame, Gay Cancer, HTLV, and a few others) came around and they kept lengthening the amount of time one might be positive and not know it, it was a real issue for me. And the barest particle of relief occurred when I was tested as - in '87.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
