This Pride Month, a Bellingham, Massachusetts, man says he is beaming. He's now able to do something he’s never done before.
Anthony Soto is doing something he's long dreamed of.
"It actually feels a little bit surreal and quite honestly, it feels awesome," said Soto.
That awesome feeling: donating blood for the first time.
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"It's a big, big step forward for us. It kind of brings some more normalcy realizing we can now go donate and realize we are just like everyone else," he said.
For years, Soto was unable to give. A Food and Drug Administration policy put in place during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s banned gay and bisexual men from donating blood.
About a year ago, the agency finally changed its policy, eliminating questions based on sexual orientation. And now, during Pride Month, Soto decided it was time.
When asked, "How much pride do you feel?"
"Absolutely, it brings me a lot of pride," he said. "The fact that they lifted it to now, in essence, ask the same questions to every single person who donates, regardless of what your orientation is. That right there is a huge win in my book and it makes me absolutely proud to say yes, I can donate as a free gay man."
While Soto is finally able to do this today, he hopes to inspire others to do the very same thing.
When asked how has it changed things for the American Red Cross, Jeff Hall said "certainly, it's broadened our donor pool."
Hall, who's with the Red Cross, said that's a very good thing. The nonprofit had wanted this for a while.
Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein was one of those behind the push to change the rules. Last year, he told NBC10 Boston this could potentially add 5 million new donors.
Soto said for him, it's a life changing experience — a historic moment creating an opportunity to help others.
"I would hope history would look back on it and say this was a groundbreaking movement for the LGBTQ community as a whole," said Soto.
