The Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal has been debating whether gay/bisexual men should be allowed to donate blood. The case was brought to the tribunal because currently the Red Cross the largest national blood collection agency enforces a ban on donations by men who have had sex with men, and people feel this is tantamount to discrimination.
The Tasmanian Gay & Lesbian Rights Group is fighting the ban. They said the ban is immoral for three reasons.
"1. It puts lives at risk by reducing the pool of potential blood donors at a time when blood is in short supply.
2. It stigmatises gay and bisexual men as a threat to public health.
3. It wrongly portrays male-to-male sex as inherently a health risk, and sends out the irresponsible public health message that heterosexual sex is health-risk free."
Please contact the tribunal and demand an end to the archaic and discriminatory ban.
Email: ADT@justice.tas.gov.au
The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal
23 - 25 Liverpool Street
HOBART TAS 7000
Telephone: (03) 6233 8372
Fax: (03) 6233 5355
Please also take the time to contact the Red Cross and express your views.
Robert Tickner
Chief Executive Officer
Red Cross National Office
Postal: PO Box 196 Carlton Vic 3053
Telephone: 03 9345 1800
Facsimile: 03 9348 2513
Email: natinfo@redcross.org.au
The Chief Executive Officer
Australian Red Cross Blood Service
GPO Box 5103
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
Contact Form: Click Here
For more info on the men who began the battle or to get involved in blood-ban activism in Tasmania contact Rodney Croome at 0409 010 668 or Michael Cain at 0400 734 798.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Demand Tasmanian Blood Ban be Dropped!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"No Faggots Allowed!"
Activists in Maine created this flyer to highlight the discriminatory blood ban by the American Red Cross that prohibits men who have had sex with men since 1977 or women who have had sex with a man who has had sex with a man from donating blood.
Tell the Red Cross - Gay Blood Saves Lives!
http://www.redcross.org/contactus/
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Urge Australian Red Cross to Stop Blood Ban!
Tasmanian gay activists are angered that the prohibition on homosexual men from donating blood still exists. Recently the laws have been changed to allow 16 year olds to donate blood without parental consent. The new laws however still prohibit gay/bisexual males from donating blood.
Contact Australian Red Cross Blood Service
Friday, April 11, 2008
Victory: Thailand Blood Ban Overturned!
Just a few days ago the Red Cross of Thailand banned blood from gay and bisexual men. Queers United sent out an action alert. Activism does make the difference because the headline today from the AFP states:
The Red Cross of Thailand said Friday that it would change its screening process for blood donors to address concerns from activists who said the system discriminated against gays.
Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations.
The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tell Thai Red Cross New Gay Blood Ban is Wrong and that "Gay Blood Saves Lives"
Thailand which has typically been progressive and culturally tolerant to their large transsexual minority, and even somewhat understanding of their homosexual citizens has backtracked today on sexual minority rights.
The Thailand Red Cross has announced that it will no longer accept blood from men who have sex with men, citing the high levels of HIV/AIDS in the gay community.
All blood should be tested regardless of what a person does or says, and to single out a whole group of people based on a statistic is wrong. The fact is millions of heterosexuals have HIV, no other racial, religious, or community based group would dare be singled out for fear of the organization being labeled insensitive and discriminatory.
Please contact the Thailand Red Cross to let them know that gay blood saves lives and to renege on this new policy, tell them testing is very effective today and there are other measures to try and scan out those with possible disease. Questions such as "do you engage with multiple sexual partners?", or "have you had unprotected sex within the last 6 months?", " have you used needles for drug exchange" are all proper ways to identify high risk groups without singling out based on sexual orientation.
National Blood Center:
Email: blood@redcross.or.th
Phone: 0-2252-4106-9
1871 Henry Dunant Road
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
Thai Red Cross Administration:
1871 4th floor
Terdprakiat Building
Rama IV Road, Patumwan
Bangkok 10330
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