text: whats the deal with giving blood? s/o told me they dont let homos give blood, is that true? im not a homo, im not old enough to give blood, and i wouldnt do it anyway. i was just wondering if thats realy true. she says its because of aids but i dont know how homos could get aids. is it realy all stored in a warehouse somewhere? how much blood do people have and how much does s/o have to loose to need s/o elses? here is a site that discusses the myths and facts surrounding giving blood.  http://www.lebanonredcross.org/give_blood_facts.htm  people should not donate blood if their lifestyles put them at risk for hiv, hepatitis b, malaria or other infections that can be transmitted through blood.   being a homosexual can put you in this risk category if the partners involved are not monogomous.  the red cross defers acceptance of blood from donors in this risk group.. even those in monogomous relationships.  iv drug users, being a or using prostitutes for sexual intercourse are other donor-risk behaviors.  other factors that would bar you from giving blood include:   ** you have had a recent tattoo.     **you or someone in your family has or had creuzfeldt-jakob disease.   ** you had an injection of beef insulin made from cattle in the united kingdom.     **you recently had malaria.     **you have lived in the united kingdom for more than three months or in europe for more than six months anytime after 1980.     **you have been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea in the last year.  about blood donation:  blood facts:  http://www.miblood.org/about_blood/facts.html  the average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his or her body.   the need for blood   4.5 million americans would die each year without life saving blood transfusions.  on average, about 38,000 pints of blood are used each day in the united states.  every three seconds someone needs blood.  on average, one out of every 5 hospital patients will need blood.  about three gallons of blood supports the entire nation's blood needs for one minute.  blood centers often run short of type o and b blood.  the average red blood cell transfusion is 3.4 pints.   how blood helps  one unit of blood can be separated into several components (red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate).  just one pint of donated blood can help 3-4 people.