A day of nationwide demonstration against the ban on homosexuals donating blood will have its own operation in downtown Eugene this Friday.

Lane Blood Center announced its support Tuesday morning of the National Gay Blood Drive. The day of demonstration opposes the lifetime ban on donating blood for gay and bisexual men. It will be the second year in a row Lane Blood Center joins the protest.

“Lane Blood Center, along with with America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross believe the current lifetime deferral of men who have had sex with other men should be modified,” Lane Blood Center said in a statement Tuesday morning. “The donor deferral criteria should be made consistent with criteria for other behaviors that pose an increased risk for transmission of transfusion-transmitted infections.”

Lane Blood Center will hold its blood drive at Lane Community College’s downtown campus from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 11.

“The reality of it is is that only the FDA can change the rules, so we’re just joining in the national support to ask for that change,” Kristi McElhinney, marketing communications specialist for Lane Blood Center, said on Tuesday morning.

Since 1985, the Food and Drug Administration has classified gay and bisexual men — or, more distinctly: men who have sex with other men — in the highest-risk blood-donor category. Ticking the box in the donor survey admitting to sexual experiences with another male results in a lifetime blacklisting, alongside intravenous drug users.

In addition to the National Gay Blood Drive, there are currently more than 3,200 signatures on a WhiteHouse.gov petition to end the ban.