GGN Radio :: On April 28th, it was announced that Health Canada had approved an end to policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood products for three months, at the request of Canadian Blood Services.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has promised for years in election campaigns to end the decades-old discriminatory and homophobic practice.
The headlines were met with much glee and celebration; our community has worked tirelessly for this change.
But dig deeper.
“When you see what the headlines are, and you see the difference between the headlines and the fine print, it’s very clear that people are trying to pull a fast one on the Canadian public and on the queer community,” says Shakir Rahim, a lawyer who worked on the federal human rights challenge to the ban on men who have sex with men donating blood. He joined GGN Publisher Shaun Proulx on his SiriusXM chat show for a conversation about the issue this week.
“And that should really be a cause for anger,” Rahim added. “Because it’s not right. The queer community is being told something is happening when in fact what is happening is markedly different.”
Rahim also discussed:
- Why the move isn’t a repeal at all.
- That blood donation still hinges on stigmatized anal sex (a man who has vaginal sex with countless partners can still donate; a man who has anal sex with multiple partners still cannot)
- The ignoring of science, advancements, and the effectiveness of preventative measures such as condoms, and PrEP.
Listen now:
- GGN
