I Beat COVID-19. But I Can’t Donate My Blood for Research Because I’m Gay.

What happens inside your body after you recover from COVID-19? What are the chances that survivors will develop immunity? And how should the legions of soon-to-be recovered think about their usefulness—to scientists and society—in this altered world? These questions got very personal for the Mother Jones Podcast team after our executive producer, James West, tested positive for COVID-19. James is recovering and feeling better. Now, as a survivor, he wants answers to questions that are of great importance—to himself, to doctors, to researchers, and to a planet fighting a pandemic. Is he immune to the disease? If so, for how long? Can he donate his plasma to exciting new trials? How close are doctors to finding a vaccine? In this episode, you’ll hear James’s conversation with Kamal Khanna, an immunity specialist at NYU School of Medicine. You’ll also learn about the FDA’s antiquated restriction on plasma donations, and how the stigma from a past pandemic are hurting our chances of fighting this one. You’ll also here from Peter Staley, the veteran AIDS activist whose groundbreaking work helped erode medical and regulatory barriers to fight HIV. He talks about how to channel the rage you might be feeling about political inaction into lasting change, while dishing on private dinners with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

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