Blood sculpture draws attention to FDA gay donor ban

New York (AP) — An art installation opening in New York City draws attention to a federal ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

"Blood Mirror" by Jordan Eagles uses blood donated by nine gay and bisexual men. It's encased in resin.

It'll be shown at Trinity Church on Wall Street from Monday through Dec. 1, World AIDS Day.

Eagle says he wanted to create the 7-foot-tall interactive sculpture to show the blood could have been used to save lives.

The Food and Drug Administration instituted a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men in 1983 in response to the AIDS crisis. This year, it proposed an updated policy allowing donations from gay men if they remained celibate for a year.

"Blood Mirror" was previously on view at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C.

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The Gayly – October 30, 2015 @ 12:20 p.m.