Gay and bisexual men not allowed to donate blood to Las Vegas victims

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Hundreds are rolling-up their sleeves to give blood after the Las Vegas shooting, but one group isn’t allowed to help.

An Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta calls the ban on gay and bisexual men discrimination.

That rule also applies in this country.

Dr. Kristopher Wells with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies says the ban started after the AIDS scare over 30 years ago but notes that modern testing can weed out just about any infected blood.

In both the US and Canada, men can’t donate blood if they’ve been sexually active with other men in the last 12 months, though the federal Liberals campaigned on ending the ban.

“I understand that the federal government does want to move forward on this, what’s holding things back is Canadian Blood Services, holding onto outdated stereotypes and discriminatory practices.”

He’s encouraging people to lobby parliament to end the ban.

“We should never deny anybody who wants to be able to step up and help from being able to do so. We know that there are blood shortages, quite regularly, and there is a whole pool of eligible people who are really wanting to give blood and they’re still being denied by outdated stereotypes and prejudice. It’s 2017, it’s time for that to come to an end.”

For members of the LGBTQ community who want to help in other ways, he recommends people sharing their own experiences of loss and pain. Specifically, he says the recent shooting at Orlando, Florida’s Pulse nightclub as an act that resonated with their community.

“We know that they can target anyone and I think people want to see the United States do something about gun violence. The amount of high-powered weapons, there’s no other reason to attack and kill people, that they have these weapons. It’s time for action, how many more tragedies need to happen? It’s not about recreation or the right to bear arms, it’s about public safety.”