The U.S. government and blood organizations across the country urged COVID-19 survivors to donate their antibody-rich plasma to help other patients fight the disease.

But when gay and bisexual men tried to donate, they were turned away—their blood deemed unworthy yet again.

Our campaign brought this unacceptable situation to life by telling the stories of Lukus and Ryan, COVID-19 survivors denied from donating their blood simply for being gay.

The posters were illustrated in a unique and ownable way by award-winning Malaysian scribble artist Vince Low, who is known for his hyper-realistic portraits that balance a seemingly haphazard approach with complex, skilled results. In this campaign, Low took his craft to a whole new level, as we challenged him to illustrate Lukus and Ryan not only with simple scribbles, but in a blood vessel scribble style.

Their stylized portraits became the face of thousands of gay and bisexual men denied the right to help—even during a global health crisis.

GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) / Blood Equality - Blood Vessels

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