MCGILL STUDENT GROUP BANS BLOOD DRIVES OVER QUESTIONNAIRE

[Gill]

Story http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/11/13/mtl-blood-drives.html

An interesting headline from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec

Gill

[Dennis]

Interesting. About time they looked at that policy.

Dennis

[Casey]

Héma-Québec has recommended that only men who have had sex with another man in the previous 12 months should be prohibited from giving blood, Roch said.

And the Missed The Point By That Much Award goes to: Héma-Québec. Monty Python would have a field day with this one. Imagine Graham Chapman as the army colonel:

"True, but Héma-Québec isn't as homophobic as it used to be, and that's the point. Well, I mean, back when I joined Héma-Québec we used to shoot them for just looking at another man's buttocks, didn't we. Now we wait until they've actually done something and then we just rip out a few of their fingernails. That's what you call progressive. In fact, in just a few years' time I fully expect we'll just talk harshly to them and send them off without any breakfast."

[Sandy]

It's not just Canada.  It's in  the US as well.  That same question is on all the US donor questionaires.

Also I just found out something else.  I was a lifetime donor of platelets through apherisis.  Basically once or twice a month you sit connected to a blood machine for two hours that separates out the plasma and platelets and returns the RBCs to you.  I was in the five gallon+ contribution class.  I had been donating for over fifteen years.

When I started HRT I told the donation center that I was a transsexual and I intended to eventually transition.  I was immediately deffered, permanently.  Polite words for banned.  According to the FDA transsexualism constitutes a dangerous lifestyle (read queer, ->-bleeped-<-got, and all other hate related terms you can think of) and like (ugh) *homosexuals* are much more likely to spread AIDS and have other cooties, so they should not be allowed to taint the blood supply of right thinking, christian, people.

Now if they can figure a way to prevent such undesirables from consuming said precious blood products, life would be perfect for them.

I'm sorry, that was mean and cynical to say.  But I am a transsexual and I was banned when I openly and honestly outed myself.  My lifestyle didn't change.  And probably won't.  And despite whatever you put on those questionaires each and every pint of blood or blood product that is donated is tested for AIDS and HIV related diseases.

I'm still stinging a little bit from the blatant discrimination.

-Sandy

[Refugee]

The policy was instituted when HIV/AIDS first became an epidemic.  This is still back in the dark days when it was referred to as GRID - Gay Related Immune Deficiency.  As a nation, we didn't know much more about it then it seemed to originate in men who'd had sex with other men in the bathhouses of San Francisco.

Its a Draconian policy, sure, but as GLBTs we've been fighting, and winning, some far more important battles in the last 20+ years.  There are efforts to change the policy.  In the ongoing war, it is but one small battle.

Personally, I have no problem lying my ass off.  I know my blood is clean, I've seen blood save lives.  I'm willing to stay silent for the good it does.

[angelsgirl]

Personally, I have no problem lying my ass off.  I know my blood is clean, I've seen blood save lives.  I'm willing to stay silent for the good it does.

True, but the point is that you shouldn't have to compromise your integrity for this.  I have to write a paper on prejudice for my psychology class...this is giving me an idea...I'll let you know what I find.
Posted on: November 21, 2006, 02:19:21 PMOh, and as for being banned, I don't blame you at all for being angry, Sandy.  That is even more blatantly discrimanatory than they're ruling out of homosexual men.  How does being transsexual put you at risk if you can answer all their questions otherwise?  That's just downright mean. And yet, they complain that there's a dearth of blood supply! Maybe they should allow more people to donate.

[Refugee]

Personally, I have no problem lying my ass off.  I know my blood is clean, I've seen blood save lives.  I'm willing to stay silent for the good it does.

True, but the point is that you shouldn't have to compromise your integrity for this. 

I've done nothing to comprimise my integrity.  I choose to answer the pertinent questions "No".  As I said I've actually witnessed blood save lives.

The ARC is wrong.  People shouldn't have to worry about dying because of flawed policy.  I sleep well at night.

[Sandy]

One final follow up to my experiences with the donor program.

In the course of my discussions with the donor people and my transsexuality, one program which I have not been deferred is the bone marrow donor program.

I actually feel pretty good about that.  Basically getting picked to volunteer for bone marrow donation is less likely than winning the lottery.  I would be ecstatic to be picked.  Of course I would immediately volunteer.  The best that ever happened is that I was once matched to a client on a first blood test basis, only the most common traits are matched (and easiest to do),  unfortunately it didn't go much farther than that.  But it was thrilling nevertheless to get that far. 

The only thing they say is that I shouldn't donate around the time of my own SRS surgery for may own health reasons.

I feel a bit less cynical now...

-Sandy

[angelsgirl]

I've done nothing to comprimise my integrity

I didn't mean that to be an accusation, I hope you didn't take it that way! 

What I mean, is if you have to lie in order to save lives simply because of being transexual, that their program needs revision.  If I had to lie to save lives because of it, I would feel that lying about it was compromising my integrity, and I wouldn't want to them to continue to make me do that over something that doesn't matter in the big scheme of things to begin with. It would really burn my biscuits, so I sympathize with you on that.