"To deny that life-giving opportunity to gay and bi-sexual men who have the same ways of wanting to be a part of the community as anyone else would is so offensive."Ĭostescu, and many others including Pike, say CBS' research isn't rooted in science, but homophobic stereotypes. "I didn't even really understand, when I was younger, if that was me too because I'm a lesbian and I wasn't going to show up at one more place where I would be discriminated against, but that wasn't the case," she said. But she also says she's going to file a complaint, as she does every time to demonstrate her opposition to the policy. The policy doesn't impact her, so she still plans to donate. Pike felt "called to help" and started donating after her partner got cancer and received a transfusion. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)ĭeirdre Pike, a local LGBTQ activist, found her donor card lying around her home during her "staycation" amid closures related to COVID-19. Hamilton activist Deirdre Pike said she would be willing to donate blood, but would also file a complaint because of their policy. WATCH | Canada's chief public health officer urges Canadians to donate blood The research required to generate evidence-based changes to the eligibility criteria for blood donation is ongoing." not because of COVID-19, but due to cancer patients, accidents - it all continues."ĬBS declined an interview related to their donation policy but said in a statement "we empathize with individuals who, for many different reasons, cannot give blood. "We need people to come out because patients will need blood. "I think we've demonstrated the blood system is safe even with, you know, West Nile Virus, Chagas, SARS, Zika, H1N1," he said. That means even if someone donated with the virus it wouldn't contaminate the blood supply. LGBT activist's complaint over wait period for blood donation referred to human rights tribunalĬOVID-19, meanwhile, cannot be contracted through blood, Peter MacDonald, director of donor relations for Canadian Blood Services in Atlantic Canada, told CBC News on Monday.We're overdue for a comprehensive reassessment Opinion This is not your father's gay blood ban era. That approach screens out gay men who have unprotected sex with multiple partners, as opposed to those who are in monogamous relationships. and Australia, other countries, including Italy and Spain, use a behaviour-based approach. Tests also can't identify if someone has been in contact with an HIV-positive person.īut there are tests which can detect HIV in blood within nine days, prompting LGBTQ advocates to ask why a waiting period of three months is necessary.Īnd while Canada's policy is ahead of the U.S. The deferral is also in place because early HIV infection might not appear during a blood test. Gay and bisexual men have faced restrictions since the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s, when thousands of Canadians were infected with HIV or hepatitis C from donated blood.Ī lifetime ban was lifted in 2013, when Canada moved to a policy that allowed donations from men who said they had abstained from sex with other men for five years. In 2016, that deferral period was dropped to one year and In 2019, it fell to three months. Dustin Costescu, a sexual health specialist and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, who is gay, said Canadian Blood Services should look to gay and bisexual men as donors. The rules state that men can't have sex with other men for three months before being allowed to give blood because the organization believes the cohort is a high-risk group, as they account for the largest proportion of new HIV infections reported in Canada.ĭr. The organization won't allow gay and bisexual men like Costescu to donate blood if they are sexually active under its current guidelines - despite seeing people cancel appointments amid calls for social distancing to avoid spreading the coronavirus. "When we see notices about blood shortages and the urgent need for donation, it's very frustrating to be in a position where you can't donate even though you would be an eligible match," said Costescu, a sexual health specialist and associate professor at McMaster University.
Dustin Costescu saw a plea from Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to donate blood amid a spike of cancellations due to COVID-19, it was just another reminder that no matter how healthy and willing he is, he can't help.
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