In 2014, artist Jordan Eagles enlisted a group of 9 extraordinary gay, polysexual, and/or transgender men, each with a unique life story, to donate their blood to the sculpture Blood Mirror in protest of the FDA’s ban. The blood in this sculpture has been encased in resin and is fully preserved, ensuring that the organic material will not change over time.

In 2016, 50 PrEP advocates gathered in protest to donate their blood to Blood Mirror. Each individual donated a tube of blood – 50 tubes equals a full pint, the amount in a standard blood donation — which was collected into the ‘community pint. This blood was preserved inside Blood Mirror. The FDA’s current 1-year deferral policy continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men without accounting for PrEP, condoms, and other safe-sex practices that can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Viewers can enter Blood Mirror and see themselves reflected through the blood of these 50 preserved donations. A totem of science and equality, Blood Mirror is an archive of the donors’ blood that confronts the 33-year history of the FDA’s ban and current discriminatory policy.
Filmmaker and activist Leo Herrera documented these blood donations, the voices of these men, and the creation of Blood Mirror in 2 short films.