Game of Throne is facing an unexpected Backlash from the LGBTQ community

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Game Of Thrones is asking fans in the US if they’re ready to Bleed for the Throne.It’s part of a new campaign with the American Red Cross, which encourages fans to donate blood in exchange for a limited edition Iron Throne T-shirt and a chance to attend the show’s much anticipated season 8 world premiere.But there’s a catch.

Per Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, gay and bisexual men can’t donate blood — so that means they can’t enter the contest. The FDA’s existing rules require gay and bisexual men to abstain from sexual activity for a full year before donating blood.

Women who have had sex with bisexual men within a year are also banned from donating. The agency enacted its strict eligibility guidelines in an effort to reduce the risk of transferring HIV via blood transfusion — restrictions date back to the AIDS crisis in 1983 — and it was only in 2015 that the FDA lifted its lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from gay men.

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Women who have had sex with bisexual men within a year are also banned from donating. The agency enacted its strict eligibility guidelines in an effort to reduce the risk of transferring HIV via blood transfusion — restrictions date back to the AIDS crisis in 1983 — and it was only in 2015 that the FDA lifted its lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from gay men.

General Atmosphere - 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals : News Photo

HBO is calling this “the largest blood donation promotional effort by an entertainment company in American Red Cross history,” but it now turns out that the network created a promotion that gay men are effectively banned from participating in.And by design, the campaign is everywhere. Blood drives are being held across the country, and the official kick-off at SXSW this week featured a large-scale recreation of the King’s Landing throne room, complete with a full chamber choir and Dothraki sword fights.

Understandably, some fans were not pleased to be left out of the experience.

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HBO told The Daily Beast that the campaign is meant to help with the Red Cross’ worldwide blood shortage, and it is simply following national regulations.

General Atmosphere - 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals : News Photo

The network also said that ineligible blood donors can still enter the sweepstakes by contacting the Red Cross Donor Support Center, although that information was not included in the campaign’s initial marketing materials and social media posts.T

he Bleed for the Throne campaign continues through March 12, with drives held in 43 states and nine colleges and universities in the US.Season 8 of Game Of Thrones premieres in the UK on Monday, April 15.

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