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(Rome) Italy's health minister has ordered an inquiry into a Milan hospital that refused to allow a gay man to donate blood. Under Italian law gays cannot be turned away as blood donors.

Last week, Paolo Pedote, a 39-year-old writer, was told by the Policlinico Hospital that he was ineligible to donate blood after he informed a nurse that he is gay.

When he was told the hospital refused to accept blood from gays Pedote reminded the nurse that Italian law does not discriminate.

He was then informed that the decision was based on an "internal policy" not to accept gay male donors.

Health Minister Francesco Storace on Monday called the hospital's position "very serious and unacceptable". 

"We intend to determine the administrative responsibility," Storace said in announcing the inquiry. "But what has happened could also be grounds for a criminal investigation."

The hospital refuses to budge. Paolo Rebulla, the director of the Policlinico's transfusion center, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that he stands by the staff's position.

[...]

Gays are currently banned from donating blood in the US, Canada, Australia and a number of other countries.

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[ 27 October 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

[ 05 September 2005: Message edited by: Granola Girl ]

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Originally posted by Granola Girl:

Interestingly, Canadian Blood Services have recently lifted its ban on blood donations from people who have lived in the British Isles, but still maintains its fatwa against the blood of homosexual men.

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Italy's health minister has ordered a Milan hospital to end its practice of refusing gays who want to donate blood.

[...]

After Pedote went to the media Health Minister Francesco Storace ordered an inquiry into the hospital. On Wednesday he ordered the hospital to comply with Italian law.

In a harshly worded letter to the hospital Storace ordered to "swiftly" change its regulations on blood donations, "eliminating all reference to homosexuality as a screening factor."  

Italian LGBT rights group Arcigay praised Storace's action but said that he also needs to "immediately establish responsibility for this illegal practice."

Gays are currently banned from donating blood in the US, Canada, Australia and a number of other countries. Last month an Australian gay man who was rejected as a blood donor filed a lawsuit against the Red Cross.

In the United States the Red Cross has been banned from holding blood donor clinics on several campuses because of the gay ban. In April, students at the University of New Hampshire held an information picket at a blood donor clinic.

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See also: Swedish PM: Let gays donate blood, organs

[ 23 December 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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(South Africa) Cape Town's health chief Dr Ivan Toms has publicly challenged the local blood transfusion service over now allowing gay men to donate blood. Interestingly, South African National Blood Transfusion Service shows that black women are the highest risk group as blood donors, and they can donate.

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Originally posted by shaolin:
Canadian Blood Services is still banned by Carleton University Student Association, and I still support the ban.

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Originally posted by somewildthingsgo:

What basis is there for denying them the right to donate blood...

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Originally posted by CuriousStudent:

Do people have any options for ways to stop this discrimination?

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Originally posted by skdadl:
...people with a diagnosed neurological disorder likely cannot donate their corneas.

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Well, golly, then that's two strikes against my diseased, decrepit, gay, icky poo-poo organs.

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Originally posted by Michelle:
Is there a "right" to donate blood? I'm not so sure about that.

Although I agree that this kind of discrimination is pretty stupid.

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You're right, actually, I think there was a guy who challenged this in Quebec and they said that there was no legal 'right' to donate blood.

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Originally posted by Tape_342:

Well, golly, then that's two strikes against my diseased, decrepit, gay, icky poo-poo organs.

Ya try to do something nice....

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Tape, I hear you. It's just a bit of a letdown to hear that they don't want ... anything, even good eyes.

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Originally posted by Michelle:
Is there a "right" to donate blood? I'm not so sure about that.

Although I agree that this kind of discrimination is pretty stupid.

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:
It's not "silly", Ichy, it's discriminatory and wrong, and it perpetuates the stereotype that AIDS is a "gay disease". It's kind of like the Catholic church weeding out the gay priests as a "solution" to child abuse.... ergo, people conclude, gays are responsible for HIV-contaminated blood; gays are responsible for child abuse. It's bullshit.

If they *really* wanted to pinpoint risky donors, they'd pay special attention to young, heterosexual women, where HIV infection is growing by leaps and bounds, to the point (in BC, at least) where it's reaching near-epidemic proportions. Why don't we see something like that?

Simple... because everyone just knows it's the homos that are the cause of all of this... right?

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Ok but I think it will be far easier to change if we laugh at them than if we storm in wearing our Gay armbands preaching at them. I think that pointing out that every donor can now be tested onsite at the time of donation "will secure the blood supply" is better than screaming that this is more hideous discrimination.

[ 25 November 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Ichy--

1. Yeah, laughing at them works, all right. Laughter and mocking got us included in the hate speech legislation. It also got us covered by the Human Rights Code, expanded marriage to include us, won us the right to adopt, or make life-altering decisions when our partner/lover/spouse is incapacitated. It allowed us to inherit said partner/lover/spouse's property, and got us included in their employee benefits packages at work. Why, it even got us decriminalized in 1969. Amazing what a sense of humour can do!

2. The Canadian Red Cross doesn't even collect blood any more; they killed off too many people already (remember the Krever Inquiry?) It's Canadian Blood Services now...

3. Who's talking about "whining"? I'm talking about somebody should sue their discriminatory asses!

[ 25 November 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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[ 25 November 2005: Message edited by: RealityBites ]

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Originally posted by Nikita:
Dismissing the homosexual community for demanding CBS allow them to give blood is a sad, pathetic tactic Ichy.

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I can remember raging about the police in Toronto because a friend of mine had been murdered, and the police weren't concerned enough to investigate very hard. no it was not solved. I can remember when as night Manager of the St Charles tavern, I called the police, because a suspected serial killer had come into the bar, (they gave us a poster of him) and them taking 3 hours to drive the 3 blocks to see if they could pick him up. I can remember getting out of a cab on Richmond street in the middle of the bath house raids. and I can remember marching with my friends after the raids. I can remember hearing about how the cops beat the street kids in order to get information out of them. I can even remember when Jack Layton was dedicated to closing one of the Gay Clubs, it was called the manatee cause the neighbours couldn't sleep. But in the 35 years I have been out of the closet, I have never had anyone call me dismissive of my own community.

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Albert Soto passed away this weekend and the actor and community activist had plans to help others as an organ donor, only his body parts have been rejected because he was gay. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established guidelines allowing centers to reject donations from men who have had sex with men within the past five years," said Sara Pace Jones, a spokeswoman with the Donor Network of Arizona.

The decision has rightfully outraged Soto's family. "It's an odd thing to have to deal with," said Anthony Bernal, 32, Soto's godson and nephew. "You're trying to mourn, but you're getting caught up in the trampoline of ups and downs of politics," Bernal said. Bernal said Soto is being robbed of his last wish.

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...

In addition, five new members have been appointed by the Ministers of Health to the Board of Directors in the following areas:

Mr. Thomas Warner - Toronto, Ontario
Mr. Warner is Vice-President and Registrar of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Canada. He has provincial and national-level experience on
human rights commissions and task forces, including time spent as an Ontario Human Rights Commissioner. Mr. Warner is a Fellow and former President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada. He is also a founding member and spokesperson for the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2005/14/c0399.html

[ 14 December 2005: Message edited by: RealityBites ]

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While members of one LGBT group demonstrated outside blood donor clinics Friday another gay was considering legal action over a ban on gays donating blood.

Despite having the world's highest rate of HIV/AIDS only sexually active gays are barred from donating blood. 

Thursday the head of the South African National Blood Service said the ban was justified, even though gays make up only a small number of the total people infected with the virus.

"A man who has had sex with another man within the last five years, whether oral or anal sex, with or without a condom ... is not permitted to donate blood and must please not do so," Dr. Robert Crookes told the SAPA news agency.

The South African Gay and Lesbian Rights Advocacy Group said the question should not be whether you have had sex with another man but that all blood donors should be asked if they use a condom while having sex.

The group's spokesperson, Dawie Nel, said that ban on gays is discriminatory and said the group may take Crookes to court.

"I understand that the blood transfusion service needs some sort of social indicator to derive the safety of blood but the use of gay in a blanket way indicates this is not fair," Nel told SABC radio.

Nel said the group believes the ban may contravene South Africa's Constitution which enshrines equal rights for gays and lesbians.

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Originally posted by Mr Clean:

People should be told if they're getting homosexual blood. I would not want gay blood because it might have aids in it.

Homosexual blood should be used exclusively on homosexuals.

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[ 14 January 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Saving the evidence; Audra & Michelle have already been e-mailed.

[ 14 January 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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So scared....are they really threats? No one takes them seriously. Loser!

[ 14 January 2006: Message edited by: Mr Clean ]

[Huge image deleted by Michelle - sad indeed.]

[ 14 January 2006: Message edited by: Michelle ]

If you can't downsize it just link to it.

[ 22 May 2006: Message edited by: Sifo-Dyas ]

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South African LGBT civil rights groups are distancing themselves from a small radical gay group that claims its members are lying on blood donor forms and giving blood despite a ban on gay donors.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance, which demonstrated on Friday at donor clinics, says that more than 600 of its members have donated blood to the South African National Blood Services without disclosing they are gay.

The GLA has faxed some of the names to the NBS. The service says it has checked those names against donor lists from clinics and cannot verify if any had actually donated blood.

Still, the threat has angered many in the LGBT community.

While all of South Africa's gay rights groups agree that the ban is discriminatory in a country which has the world's highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS the groups say that the GLA should not be taking matters into its own hands.

"We call on the SA National Blood Service to explore criminal charges against all persons who have claimed to have been involved in attempting to undermine the safety of the national blood pool," said the Triangle Project in a statement.

The organization also calls into question the very existence of the GLA which has been vocal in sending out media releases but otherwise secretive.

"The so-called organization does not have an address or a land-line phone number and all previous efforts to meet with the GLA have failed," the Triangle statement said.

Out, a non-profit group also questions the existence of the group. Out director Dawie Nel tells the SAPA news service that he believes the "GLA is a charlatan group, driving a shadowy agenda without legitimacy".

"It does not speak on behalf of gay and lesbian people, nor does it have their interests at heart," Nel said.

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The American Red Cross can continue holding blood drives at the University of Vermont despite a complaint that a ban on sexually active gay men giving blood violates the school's nondiscrimination policy, campus officials have ruled.

"Donating blood is an individual choice and action -- not rising to the definition of protected activity in the case of discrimination or equal protection," Michael Gower, the university's vice president for administration, wrote in a Jan. 17 letter detailing the school's position.

Kathryn Friedman, head of the school's affirmative action office, had recommended that the university curtail Red Cross blood drives. That came after a complaint by a former student that the school condoned discrimination against gay men by allowing the Red Cross on campus.

[...]

National Red Cross officials have said that the Food and Drug Administration won't allow it to accept blood from sexually active gay men, for fear it could be tainted with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The FDA last considered whether to revise its policy in 2000, when a panel of FDA specialists voted 7-6 to maintain the ban.

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Isn't this scandalous! The Australian Red Cross is running a poster competition to celebrate difference and combat discrimination.

According to the promotion,

"In the current environment where discrimination and racial tensions are high the Poster Competition aims to recognise and celebrate our differences but also to highlight our common humanity and promote respect for one another despite where we come from, what our age is, how much money we have, whether we are male or female, our beliefs, physical appearance and abilities."

I guess it's no surprise that "sexual orientation" is missing from that list.

If the Red Cross wants to do something effective about discrimination it can start with its own policy banning all gay and bisexual men from giving blood regardless of the safety of their sexual practices.

This policy unfairly and unnecessarily stigmatises all gay and bisexual men as a threat to public health.

But the Red Cross isn't listening.

It's happy to grind up the self esteem of young gay men to manufacture a false sense of public security.

And then to camouflage that crime with colourful, smiling posters.

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Also, there is more info. on the contest at their website: www.redcross.org.au

[ 24 February 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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The Montreal Gazette reports that Hema Quebec, the agency that oversees blood donations, will not be reviewing its policy of banning sexually active homosexuals from donation drives. [Assorted hatred and lies] In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is caving to pressure to revise its blood donor screening policy and three major US blood agencies are recommending cutting the ban to a year after a man has had sex with another man. [More lies and hatred]

[Hatred, lies, lies and hatred]

Pressure is mounting from the left, however. Commission scolaire de Montreal threatened in 2004 to halt all blood drives in its schools unless Hema-Quebec agreed to drop references to homosexuality in its questionnaire.

[Cites unnamed "study" by unnamed authors who are supposedly doctors that provides an alleged basis for yet *more* hatred and lies]

The Canadian Hemophilia society are pleased the decision is not likely to change. David Page, the organization's spokesman said that hemophiliacs, who must receive repeated blood transfusions, recognize that the incidence of blood transmitted disease is high among homosexual men.

"A one-year ban is not enough," Canadian Hemophilia Society spokesman David Page told the Gazette. "The information we have now is [such a change] would increase the health risk, not of HIV, but of either unknown or emerging viruses."

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