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the UK faces a national blood shortage. There are not enough donars to meet the demand for life saving blood transfusions.
And yet, there is a large and untapped source of willing blood donars who are forbidden from donating by the discriminatory policies of the NBS
gay men, who have had anal intercourse are considered high risk and face a life time ban on blood donation. In comparison, heterosexual people who have engaged in such activity face only a year ban.
The reasoning is of course that HIV/AIDS is a gay disease, and any man whose had anal sex is incredibly likely to have it, regardless of whether the sex was protected or not. This being despite the fact that sex is one of the harder ways of transmitting HIV, and that transmission requires one partner to have the virus, and that only 50,000 people in the UK have the disease, not all of them gay men, and that use of a condom will prevent the spread of the disease.
Moreover, the ban applies despite the fact the man in question might have recently had a sexual health test, been pronounced clean, and not had anal sex since then. It also applies despite the fact the NBS screen every sample of blood they recieve for a whole host of virus' and bacteria, including HIV/AIDS.
Does this sound unfair to you? does it sound discriminatory, does it sound borderline stupid? It does to the National Union of Students.
on Thursday 2nd November the NUS LGBT Campaign is holding a national Day of Action in protest over the discriminatory policies of the NBS. The campaign aims to encourage blood donation, by asking people to donate in place of all those who cannot, and at the same time raise awareness of the fact that gay men cannot give blood, and collect signatures for a petition going to the department of health. The campaign is spearheaded by Scott Cuthbertson, the NUS LGBT Officer.
“Students across the UK are very angry about this discrimination. The questions asked at blood donation sessions mean that all gay and bisexual men are banned from giving blood, regardless of their behaviour, whilst high-risk heterosexual people slip through the net. It is time that the National Blood Services changed their homophobic policy and lifts the ban on gay and bisexual men. Other countries have already changed their policies sending a clear message that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is unacceptable; it is time for NBS to do the same. The LGBT community is very diverse, and a blanket ban against all gay and bisexual men is no longer appropriate.”
He added
“NUS LGBT priority campaign this year is “Donation not Discrimination”. The main tenet of this campaign is to ensure a review of the policy takes place, so that the behaviour of the individual is assessed rather than their membership of a group. ”
currently events are being staged at::
London (Oxford street)
Birmingham
Manchester
Derby
York
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Brighton
Bournemouth
Nottingham
Reading
Stoke-on-Trent
each event is being staged by Local Students Unions LGBT Societys and/or LGBT Officers.
Please, if you live nearby, go down to the local blood donation centre where these activities are being held, sign the petition, and help end discrimination.
and if you, unlike me, are able to, do something special, give blood, save a life.
Aden Lucas
General Secretary, Keele LGBT Society
Event Co-ordinator, Stoke-on-Trent
for more information about the local event in your area, contact
lgbt@nus.org.uk
or
email your local universities LGBT society, contact details via students unions website
apologies if this blatent campaign advertising is offensive to some, and inapplicable to others, its on LGBT issue i feel very strongly about however, and i for one am glad the NUS shares my belief.
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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I share your strong feelings on this.
From a personal perspective, I used to give blood, until I was not-at-all-politely informed in the mid-1980s that my blood was "no longer acceptable". I currently qualify as an ultra-low-risk group by almost anyone else's standards, in that I have not had sex for around 20 years, but am still banned from giving blood.
I am delighted that NUS is taking this up: unfortunately, my own Union (UNISON), although it has has debated the issue a couple of times (largely at the prompting of the GLBT group) has failed to do so. I am particularly pleased that the NUS is taking action in such a constructive way (ie avoiding a boycot) ... I strongly support the work of the National Blood Service (I once crossed Union picket lines in order to open up the Town Hall for our regular blood donor sessions), even if they do make it difficult to defend their narrowminded and homophobic approach!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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The British National Blood Service has never been among my favourite institutions. It just does not know how to deal with its donors.
After 41 years during which I donated some 65 pints of blood I was summarily dismissed with a "You can't give blood any more" when I had to cancel an appointment before my operation. I am now fully cured of my illness. That may be a wise decision medically, but there was no 'I'm sorry' or apology, worse still no expression of thanks, spoken or written. I had become a pariah in the sanguinary world.
I remember I got a bollicking at one session because I hadn't answered my call to donate. Why? Because I couldn't hear it over the row of BBC Radio 1 emanating from a tranny.
Hugs
Nigel
I dream of boys with big bulges in their trousers,
Never of girls with big bulges in their blouses.
…and look forward to meeting you in Cóito.
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I hope this is not considered to be a post hijack. (The original post only applies to the UK.)
In my country blood donations are effected through MDA, which is the equivalent of the Red Cross or the St John's Ambulence Service.
A few years ago there was a hue and cry here when it became apparent that blood donations were not being accepted from citizens who were (black) Jews who hailed from Ethiopia. The official reason given was the high incidence of AIDS and HIV among the members of that community. Of course, the press hinted that there was more than a smack of racism here and the MDA should be ashamed of itself.
The upshot was that donations would be accepted from everybody and that blood donated by people who might be considered 'risky' would be marked and subjected to special testing (greater than the rest of the population). In this way no donor is ever rejected - unless their donation would endanger their own health.
J F R (with apologies for posting more than my fair share for today).
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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I would love to give blood, but I can’t. There are two reasons I can't one being health the second is the flight or fight responds. The two are linked.
I have a huge fear of needles, so when I have to get a shot I am given a mild sedative first, to help calm me down, and for the heath reason. Which is my heart, my blood pressure goes sky high, and to the point of it being dangers.
I also have to be held down cuz I have hit people before its apart of the flight or fight responds. I preserve it as threat to my life. It’s funny when you think of it.
You must remember when that police was written, and correct me if I am wrong, but was it not written back when AID/HIV was mostly a gay disease.
I agree that it’s not fair and should be rethink.
Jay
So say what you want
(You know I'm wasting all my time)
You've gotta mean it when you say what you want
(You're only safe when you're alone)
And everybody's on your mind
Saying anything to get you by
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promoting the event at our society social today i was asked a fairly simple question
why not just lie?
all they do is ask you questions about sexual past, its easy to lie, why not do it? why waste time on this?
i had to think before i answered that one... why should we?
but yeah, on medical grounds i totally agree with the NBS having issues with high risk people. i just fail to see how every gay man who's ever had anal sex qualifies as high risk, all the time. i also fail to see how the gay man who had protected sex once 5 years ago qualifies as a high prohibed risk compared to the straight sexually active male whose had unprotected sex twice in the last week alone with 2 different people.
ultimately though, women who have anal sex - 1 year ban, gay men - life time ban
where does that get off??
thats what the NUS think, and thats what we're campaiging to end.
so if any of you are near any of those places listed in my first post, drop on down to the blood centre, and support the NUS by signing up to the petition for the Dept of Health. we'd really appreciate it.
and JFR, don;t worry bout hijacking.
fact is many countries have had similar policies, and equally as many got rid of them years ago. why not the UK too?
i honeslty don't know about Israel's policy (i assume you're israeli because thats where your profile says you are from lol, sorry if i'm wrong) i was sent a load of info from the NUS about foreign policies, but Israel wasn't on the list.
so yeah, Thursday 2nd November
support the National Union of Students LGBT Campaign!
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Now that is interesting. I was unaware that women and men are treated differently.
You have a sexual discrimination case there, methinks.
The problem with it will be the Sun and the Mirror. "We don't need queer blood!"
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Number 10 Downing Street has recently introduced on-line petitions (they are still in beta-test).
A petition on Blood Donations was started a couple of days ago, which can be signed by British Citizens or British residents - it can be found on
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bloodban/
As it is new, there has not been much publicity so far: it would be great if people felt like passing on the URL to other gay britons!
At the time of writing, I see they say "Special note for Hotmail users: Hotmail has been accidentally blocking a significant proportion of petition signature confirmation emails sent by this system to people with Hotmail accounts." - so the e-mail difficulties with the IOMFATS mailout are by no means unique!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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I have signed the petition.
I hope that the fact that it doesn't make the names anonymous does not put people off. You don't have to be gay or 'out' to feel strongly on this issue.
David
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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As readers of my email notification list will see, this has been publicised to it. I have signed it myself.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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incidentally, James-J Walsh, the petitions creator, was last years NUS LGBT officer... its good to see so many people our supporting this petition though!
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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i've been reading your posts on nbs.
Being an american i guess the service in us is different, but i live in the uk im gay (YIPPIE) and yes i mean happy and an enlightend fairy,poof faggot or what have you lol (NO OFFENCE OK ) but back to the subjct i was wondering if people started saying i only want let say non white race doner blood would they listen, would we be allowed to make such a statment? no of course not why it's its racist and bigotry and it's right not to allow that sort of behavour as it's discrimnatory. So why not give us the same chance to choose if we gay people want gay blood. i would welcome freaking Martian blood if it meant i had a better chance of recovery, but i choose to make this politcal point i wrote to the blood service stating until my blood as a gay man was used and willingly acepted id never donate money to them. why not also write to them and hurt them where it does the most damage in there bank ballance...? just a thought
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Well, hurting them in the bank balance simply hurts the recipients of the blood. A lower bank balance means fewer resources.
Many years ago there was a TV show, "'til Death us do Part" which was a huge satire on bigotry. I'm pretty sure it did a show about wanting "only white blood". My searches so far have failed to reveal if I'm right.
In those days the show was able to use all the derogatory words for our black citizens under the sun, and those who were bigoted somehow felt the show supported them instead of lampoonig them.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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much as we deplore the actions of the National Blood Service in refusing to allow gay people to donate blood, we have to be realistic as well. The NBS carries out an absolutely vital duty to innocent people in this country who would die without donated blood. Anything that is done to halt that supply of blood, is, in my mind, really unjustified. If my choice were between picketing a blood donation centre so donated blood could not leave the centre, or continuing the status quo as it is now, you sure as hell wouldn't find me on the picket line, and nor would you find a lot of the people who support the NUS actions on this issue.
Its a hard line to walk, we like the NBS, just we don't like the policies they implement. But we need to work to change the policies in a way that won't hurt the day to day running of the NBS
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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