Gay blood paint
This Red Paint Contains the Blood of Gay Men
Protesting the FDA’s policies banning gay men from donating blood, first enacted during the AIDS crisis, designer Stuart Semple is launching a coat collection mixed with the donated blood of gay men. It’s yet another example of the power of dye in protest movements.
BY RYAN WADDOUPS September 23, 2022 All images courtesy of Mother Goods…
In the early ‘80s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, the U.S. government placed a lifetime ban on “men who possess sex with men” from donating blood. The restriction, they reasoned, intended to keep HIV out of the blood supply. It wasn’t until 2015 that—after rebukes from advocates and lawmakers—the FDA replaced the prohibit with a one-year abstinence requirement, further reducing it to three months in April 2020 as the country grappled with a pandemic-induced blood shortage. Quick forward two years and the shortage has only intensified—the Red Cross reported a one-day supply of critical blood types due to a 10 percent decline in donations.
Confounded by the continuing injustice of the restrictions on fit gay men, the artist Stuart Semple teamed with innovative agency Mo
Mother + Stuart Semple launch limited-edition set of protest art tools- The Gay Blood Collection.
Creative company Mother has debuted The Gay Blood Collection, a limited-edition set of activism art tools with the help of artist and activist Stuart Semple, intended to bring insight to a discriminatory FDA rule that excludes gay men from donating blood. And it just so happens it’s more relevant given all the recent news surrounding the national blood shortage crisis.
Since the 1980s the FDA has treated men who have sex with men as second-class citizens, banning the donation of their life-saving blood due to outdated and impractical fear of HIV and AIDS contamination. Back in 2018, creative company Mother wanted to take a stand on the ban by kicking off the “Blood is Blood” initiative, where they printed t-shirts utilizing ink made from the blood of gay men (including some of their employees).
But unfortunately, nothing has changed since then, and the ban still exists today. Which is archaic, discriminatory, and frankly, bullshit.
So, this NYFW, in the spirit of making bold statements, Mother is debuting a new caring of collection –
Mother and artist Stuart Semple have launched ‘The Same-sex attracted Blood Collection’, consisting of a combination of paints, sprays and pens.
The launch was set to deal with the unfair FDA govern that rejects gay men from donating blood.
Artist, Stuart Semple partnered with imaginative company, Mother to spotlight the unjustness of excluding gay men from donating blood, especially since there is a national blood shortage.
The FDA, The Meal and Drug Administration, produced rules that ultimately excluded men who participated in sexual activity with other men, from becoming a blood donor.
The collection bids Gay Blood acrylic color, a fountain pen, screen printing ink, paint feather and spray paint, ranging from $30 to $200.
An additional bonus, the spray paint has an eco-friendly alternative to aerosol. Products can be bought here.
Mother said, ‘We took the FDA’s unwanted blood and did something about it’. In addition, to raising awareness, all the profits from the collection leave to Callen-Lorde, a Brand-new York based community health centre. To continue to raise awareness, Mother will be connecting with well-respected LGBTQ community member to invite them to erect their own unique pieces t
Stone and Gay Blood Painting
I have over 20,000 finished pieces now. Some are very little, but some are 8' across. I do representational work as well as abstract, but am concentrating on the latter at the moment. The work is big and bold, but I believe there has to be a symbolic framework within a painting for it to possess any proper meaning. I often incorporate myths and legends. I truly have become the paradigm for 'a starving artist.' I have reduced my budget to a pound a day, and rely on food bank handouts to survive. I spend far too much on paint! Appreciate you to everyone who has bought my work. I expect the pictures bring you much joy. You indirectly support CAYAC. This is an organisation I set up to support new people in the county in a time of slashed funding and under-appreciation of the subject in schools. It stands for The Cambridgeshire Area Young Designer Competition. In a bid to rustle up some sales, I will be slashing prices over the next few weeks. I feel that I have to engage with this art-world thing as much as I can. I have just hit 60 and do not want to be like Vincent van Gogh, successful after my demise!
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