Canada lifts rtrictns on gay men donatg blood | PBS NewsHour

Contents:

• CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD
• CANADIAN BLOOD SERVIC NOW ALLOWS SOME GAY, BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE PLASMA CALGARY, LONDON, ONT.
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• CANADA TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN BAN ON SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY, BISEXUAL MEN
• LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HOPE OFFICIALS LET GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD AMID COVID-19 NCELLATNS
• CANADA MAY SOON REPEAL ITS DISCRIMATORY GAY BLOOD BAN
• GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS
• IT’S ME TO GIVE: CANADIAN GAY, BISEXUAL, AND QUEER MEN’S WILLGNS TO DONATE BLOOD IF ELIGIBLE DPE FEELGS OF POLICY DISCRIMATN
• CANADA LIFTS BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD; MT BE ABSTENT FOR 5 YEARS

CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD

OTTAWA (AP) — Health Canada on Thursday lifted rtrictns on gay men donatg blood, a move Prime Mister Jt T said was “good news for all Canadians” but had taken too long. Health Canada approved the requt by Canadian Blood Servic to end the policy that rtricts homosexuals om donatg blood for three months after engagg gay sex. Several chang were later ma to the blood donatn regime until ferral perds for donatns by gay men were lowered om a lifetime ban to three months 2019.

LondonCanadian Blood Servic is takg the first steps to allowg gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men — which lls the gbMSM muny — to donate blood plasma, startg the tt ci of Calgary and London, agency's prev policy has been lled discrimatory, cludg by men who have sex wh menBlood plasma is the straw-loured liquid ponent left when blood cells are removed om whole blood. Canadian Blood Servic is ttg out s plasma donatn eligibily, London, Ont., and Calgary, for gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men. (Hiep Vu via Canadian Blood Servic)Canadian Blood Servic is takg the first steps to allowg gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men — which lls the gbMSM muny — to donate blood plasma, which is startg two tt ci: Calgary, Alta., and London, marks the first time the agency is openg donatns to gay and bisexual men.

CANADIAN BLOOD SERVIC NOW ALLOWS SOME GAY, BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE PLASMA CALGARY, LONDON, ONT.

"Plasma donated by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men London and Calgary will be ma to plasma prote products when the donor at least 60 days later wh a plasma donatn that tts negative for fect diseas. It is ed a variety of treatments for rare, life-threateng, chronic and geic years, Canadian Blood Servic has e unr fire for not allowg men who have sex wh men to donate blood, a practice many ll homophobic.

The agency did not say when would expand the current plasma donatn abily to other centr beyond Calgary and ferral perd drops to 3 months for gay, bisexual men"We unrstand that beg turned away om donatg n leave any donor wh a sense of tratn and disappotment, " the agency said.

LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS

"We also regnize that the slow pace of chang to donor creria that still exclu many gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men has been paful and tratg for many, and we are workg to create a more clive system. S., the Red Cross, along wh One Blood, Valant and partner LGBTQ+ muny health centers, are participatg a pilot study fund by the FDA select ci that uld potentially lead to chang for blood donor eligibily creria for gay and bisexual men. Calgary paramedic 'elated' as Canada ends blood ban for men who have sex wh menBlood service remends endg ban on gay men donatg bloodInstead of beg asked about genr or sexualy, potential donors will be screened on higher-risk sexual behavur, such as anal sex.

Christopher Karas, who filed a human rights plat agast Health Canada to remove the ferral, says the policy still stigmatiz gay, bisexual men, and some transgenr people. Christopher Karas, a gay man who filed a human rights plat agast Health Canada, says the new policy still stigmatiz gay and bisexual men. (Evan Msui/CBC)"But I know that a lot of gay, bi men and trans people will still be barred by this policy, so I thk 's a b unfortunate that the ernment has cid this is the approach they want to take, " said Karas.

BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Prevly, the feral ernment has tried to block Karas's urt challenge that argu Health Canada is discrimatg agast gay men by overseeg a ban that prevents men who have sex wh other men om donatg blood. ListenThere's no reason for Canada to ntue banng gay men om donatg blood, says journalistPEERS Alliance says end to ban on gay blood donatn has been 'a long time g'When prsed by reporters on whether Health Canada played a plic role the discrimatory policy, T said scientific evince was need and didn't exist.

HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

But there is one easily implementable solutn to the natnal blood-supply shortage that’s been available for years and uld be a lifele: allowg gay and bisexual men to donate eely. S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or “men who have sex wh men”) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex wh another man the past three months. “It is my opn that we ntue to have a real problem wh laws and regulatns based on fear rather than science, ” she ntuatn of a MSM-specific barrier to givg is not only limg the blood supply, ’s unnecsary and “rooted homophobia, ” explas Perry N.

”In 2015, theFDA loosened s rtrictn, permtg gay and bisexual men to donate blood as long as they hadn’t had sex wh another man the past year. Conducted tanm wh the natn’s largt blood centers—the Amerin Red Cross, Valant, and OneBlood—the rearch effort will survey 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across the untry between the ag of 18 and 30 who have had sex wh at least one man the past three months. The first step is to sign GLAAD’s petn at You then n—and should—te those around you, “sce many people, cludg gay and bi men, don’t know that this ban exists, ” adds Lasky.

FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

Current Food and Dg Admistratn (FDA) policy allows for gay and bisexual men to donate blood 3 months after their most recent sexual ntact wh another man if they meet all other eligibily creria. 27, 2023, FDA issued a draft guidance that propos to elimate the tomatic 3-month ferral of gay and bisexual men based on the agency analysis of the current data on HIV transmissn.

CANADA TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN BAN ON SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY, BISEXUAL MEN

We know that the slow pace of chang to donor creria that have exclud many gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men has been paful and tratg for many. Blood products beme regulated by the natnal blood system regulator, Health Canada, and the crern affectg gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men was ‘grandfathered’ to existg regulatns. Canadian Blood Servic has today remend that Canada end the ban on gay men donatg blood, a submissn to Health McIntosh/The Canadian PrsThe feral ernment will no longer tomatilly ban sexually active gay and bisexual men om donatg blood to Canadian Blood Servic, endg a policy that has long been cricized as discrimatory and lackg scientific Canada announced the cisn Thursday, years after Prime Mister Jt T promised to elimate the ban.

Prr to Thursday’s announcement, Canada blocked gay and bisexual men, as well as other men who have sex wh men, om donatg blood unls three months had passed sce their last sexual ntact wh men.

Opn: Canada should have scrapped s homophobic ban on blood donatns om gay men long agoBlood service remends Health Canada end gay blood donatn banCanadian Blood Servic spokperson Cathere Lewis said the new procs is ground science.

LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HOPE OFFICIALS LET GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD AMID COVID-19 NCELLATNS

In 2013, Health Canada said gay men uld donate blood, so long as they had not had sex wh other men the prr five Liberal Party promised to end the ban durg the 2015 electn mpaign that brought the T ernment to power.

Is movg to further ease rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men and other groups that typilly face higher risks of Food and Dg Admistratn on Friday announced draft guil that would do away wh the current three-month abstence requirement for donatns om men who have sex wh men.

CANADA MAY SOON REPEAL ITS DISCRIMATORY GAY BLOOD BAN

Instead, all potential donors would be screened wh a new qutnnaire that evaluat their dividual risks for HIV based on sexual behavr, recent partners and other falized, many gay and bisexual men monogamo relatnships would be able to donate blood for the first time s.

“Current and former blood donatn polici ma unfound assumptns about gay and bisexual men and really entangled dividuals’ inty wh their likelihood of havg HIV, ” said Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocy U. And many other untri started blockg blood donatns om gay and bisexual men durg the early 1980’s AIDS epimic, aimg to prevent the spread of HIV through the blood supply.

GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE

The policy would also apply to women who have sex wh gay or bisexual who has ever tted posive for HIV would ntue to be eligible to donate blood. “We mt be nsc to not further stigmatize the safe sex practic and uplift dividuals takg preutns, ” said Jose Abrigo of Lambda Legal, which has long phed to change the FDA FDA based s latt proposal, part, on a recent study of 1, 600 gay and bisexual men. "When we see notic about blood shortag and the urgent need for donatn, 's very tratg to be a posn where you n't donate even though you would be an eligible match, " said Costcu, a sexual health specialist and associate profsor at McMaster anizatn won't allow gay and bisexual men like Costcu to donate blood if they are sexually active unr s current guil — spe seeg people ncel appotments amid lls for social distancg to avoid spreadg the l state that men n't have sex wh other men for three months before beg allowed to give blood bee the anizatn believ the hort is a high-risk group, as they acunt for the largt proportn of new HIV fectns reported Dt Costcu, a sexual health specialist and associate profsor at McMaster Universy Haton, who is gay, said Canadian Blood Servic should look to gay and bisexual men as donors.

UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

(McMaster Universy)Gay and bisexual men have faced rtrictns sce the tated blood sndal of the 1980s, when thoands of Canadians were fected wh HIV or hepatis C om donated blood. That approach screens out gay men who have unprotected sex wh multiple partners, as opposed to those who are monogamo ferral perd drops to 3 months for gay, bisexual menOpnThis is not your father's gay blood ban era. Costcu also said now is the time to donate bee all the ncellatns and closur have eed up time to give blood, pecially before Canada se a spike s that aren't travel-related — but the polici preventg gay and bisexual men to donate are workg agast that.

"To ny that life-givg opportuny to gay and bi-sexual men who have the same ways of wantg to be a part of the muny as anyone else would is so offensive. They don't thk there's any reason to le out all gay and bi men, pecially if they practice safe sex, don't have sex often or are a monogamo relatnship.

IT’S ME TO GIVE: CANADIAN GAY, BISEXUAL, AND QUEER MEN’S WILLGNS TO DONATE BLOOD IF ELIGIBLE DPE FEELGS OF POLICY DISCRIMATN

Canada uld soon bee the latt untry to repeal s discrimatory bans on gay and bisexual men donatg Mister Jt T said a Friday prs nference that he is “very, very hopeful” that Canada’s current rtrictns on queer male blood donors will be lifted “shortly, ” acrdg to the Canadian news work Global News. That dictate still barred the vast majory of gay and bisexual men om givg five-year le evolved to a one-year ferral wdow before the current policy was enacted 2019. ”“We will keep fightg until the ferral perd is lifted and gay and bi men, and all LGBTQ people, are treated equal to others, “ said GLAAD CEO and Print Sarah Kate Ellis a statement at the time.

CANADA LIFTS BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD; MT BE ABSTENT FOR 5 YEARS

Dpe this urgent need for donatns, people who have sex wh gay or bisexual men are still facg rtrictns on their abily to give Food and Dg Admistratn bars people who have had sex wh gay or bisexual men om donatg blood for three months followg the most recent sexual ntact bee of fears of HIV the blood agency changed the ferral perd om 12 months to three months November 2020 as blood donatns fell and hospals faced cril shortag durg the first year of the COVID-19 advot, cludg the Human Rights Campaign, say the FDA is movg too slowly on removg the rtrictn, sayg that 's an outright ban on the abily of people, particularly gay and bisexual men, to donate blood.

Rtrictns on blood donatns om gay and bisexual men, who are nsired to be at high risk for HIV or AIDS transmissn, date back to the and bisexual men unrgo dividual risk asssments stead of time-based bans untri around the world, recently cludg Greece and France, acrdg to ternatnal reports.

The event was held to prott feral l that effectively ban gay men om donatg Bispg/Star Tribune via Getty Imag, FILEValant told ABC News a new statement that rearchers are halfway toward s goal of enrollg 2, 000 participants across eight ci: Washgton D. They enurage gay and bisexual men who are 18 to 39 years old to participate the FDA, a statement to ABC News, said that this study uld generate data that will help the agency terme if a donor's dividual risk asssment and qutnnaire would be jt as effective rcg the risk of HIV the blood supply as the time-based ferrals the FDA already has FDA also said do not have a specific timele for when the studi will be pleted but that is "mted to gatherg the scientific data that n support alternative donor ferral polici that mata a high level of blood safety. We terviewed 39 HIV-negative gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual mory men (GBM) Vanuver, Toronto, and Montreal to unrstand their willgns to donate blood if eligible.