Canada lifts ban on LGBTQ+ blood donation

By Christine Kinori

Health Canada has approved the request by the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to lift the ban on blood donations from gay men. The request was submitted last year when Canada Blood Services asked for screening of potential donors to be based on their engagement in any higher-risk sexual behaviours instead of sexual orientation.

The ban was placed in 1992 at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and a 1980's public health scandal where approximately 2,000 people were infected with HIV and about 60,000 with Hepatitis C from tainted blood donations amid testing failures. Initially, it was meant to be a lifetime ban but there have been numerous changes to the rule over the past years.

The policy was first eased in 2013 when the lifetime ban was reduced to five years. This meant that only gay men who had abstained from sex for five years were allowed to donate blood. In June 2016, Health Canada announced that they have approved the Blood Service request to reduce the period from five years to 12 months. In 2019, the policy was amended once again and the period was reduced to three months.

The ban has long been criticized as homophobic and scientific experts stated that the bans have little to no effect as blood is now systematically screened in advance for viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C. LGBT+ campaigners denounced the policy saying it reflects stigma and stereotypes rather than science and technology which has improved since the 1980s. This forced the government to invest in research programs to help evolve and inform the current eligibility criteria for gay blood donation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal party first made a vow to end the donation ban during the 2015 federal election campaign. In his speech at a news conference, Trudeau said his government spent $3.9 million on scientific research into the safety aspects of changing the blood donation rules and several scientific reports showed "our blood supply will continue to be safe." He also said that the ban was "discriminatory and wrong" and should have been lifted decades ago.

The new rules following the blood ban lift will take effect by 30th September 2022. Gay men will no longer need to have an abstinence period before they donate blood. Canadian Blood Services will now screen blood and plasma donors for high-risk sexual practices regardless of sexuality. Those who have engaged in higher-risk sexual practices will need to wait three months after such activities before donating blood regardless of their sexual orientation.

Canada joins the latest wave of countries such as Greece and Brazil which have lifted blood donation restrictions on gay and bi men. This has been a celebrated move given that many countries across the world are undergoing severe blood shortages in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The situation in countries such as America has been dire and forced the US to reduce its celibacy requirement for gay men from one year to three months in October 2020.

Canada's decision to lift the blood ban has also reignited calls in the US to remove the discriminatory ban completely. US Congresswoman Val Demings lauded Canada's decision and asked the FDA to take the same approach in doing away with antiquated discriminatory practices and saving lives. She was seconded by US Congressman Mark Takano, who is openly gay and has on many occasions actively spoken against the restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community to donate blood.

As countries across the world continue to review their restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, they might borrow a leaf from Canada's scientific approach. This scientific approach allows more inclusiveness while still ensuring a safe blood supply.

Christine Kinori is a queer travel freelance writer. “I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing new culture. I believe in equality and I want my daughter to live in a better world.”