The eighth installment of the Saw franchise, Jigsaw, is set to hit theaters on October 27. Keeping up with the Saw tradition, which started after the success of the first saw film in 2004, Lionsgate will again be hosting a Halloween blood drive. But this time, in addition to promoting the new film, Lionsgate is challenging current FDA regulations preventing gay and bisexual men from donating blood, with their campaign “All Types Welcome.”
Historically, the Saw Blood Drive has showcased vintage nurses as the ambassadors for the event, but for 2017 the ambassadors are a mix of gay, transgender and bisexual social media stars putting their own twist on the role of a “nurse.” The campaign is a condemnation of blood donation rules set by the Food and Drug Administration that prohibit gay or bisexual men from giving blood if they have had same-sex sexual encounters within the last year.
The campaign also takes aim at The Red Cross, the nation’s largest blood supplier, which recently drew fire for its approach to transgender donors, who until recently were required to register at blood centers under the gender they were assigned at birth.
The Jigsaw Mobile Blood Drive kicks off in New York on October 25, and will head to 25 other locations throughout the month of October. To date, the Saw Halloween blood drives have collected 120,000 pints of blood and is estimated to have helped save 360,000 lives. Donators will receive a free ticket to see Jigsaw in theaters courtesy of Lionsgate and Atom Tickets.
