Nature-Spirits wrote:Oneracon wrote:It feels like their very existence just smacks you in the face with the fact that CBS, an organization nominally independent but entirely funded by tax dollars, thinks that all queer men are too diseased (or likely to be diseased) to actually give but... it's totally ok because you can just get your friends to donate their clean straight blood on your behalf! #Ally
Instead of these initiatives that do nothing but emphasize their exclusion of queer men, and other men who have sex with men regardless of their identity, they should be focused on reforming a blood system through something like a neutral screening criteria that doesn't automatically assume we're all HIV-riddled.
I support blood donations, I want Canada to have a strong domestic blood supply so that we don't need to rely on dubious imports of blood products... which is what actually caused the tainted blood scandal in the first place
I mean, I guess a bit, but knowing some of the people behind my city's (and province's) queer activism, this will be very politicised -- as it should be. The thing is, it's being run by the Pride organisation in partnership with CBS outside of normal hours, and essentially we're publicly announcing that we're not allowed to donate, and we're asking our friends and allies to give their blood in our place. I feel like it would have a lot less impact if it were just individuals doing this, but because it's an activist organisation getting CBS to do this separately from their regular work, I think it has a lot of merit.
I do see your point, and hopefully there are plenty of opportunities to drive home to CBS that they need to stop the blood ban (and yes five years is still a ban). If it's going to be politicized, then it would definitely be a good idea.
On the other hand, when I was coordinator of my campus group we had a CBS rep ask if we would endorse and promote an "Ally Clinic" at the local Pride... which was unanimously rejected by our Board of Directors because we didn't like our name being used on an event that emphasized the exclusion of queer men. One of my directors actually had a good point about how it especially alienates men who are not necessarily open about their orientation because it would require them to disclose their sexual activity to friends or family to get them to participate.