Let Us Donate
Donation protected
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s blood service policy is homophobic. Currently, there is a 12-month deferral period for men who have had sex with men forbidding them from donating blood, a policy justified by the ‘window period’ where HIV and other STIs can’t be traced through testing. In essence, any man who has sex within the last year (regardless of individual circumstances) has lost the right to donate blood within Australia.
This one year deferral period directly contradicts the policies of organisations such as the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic, who have a ‘window period’ of six to twelve weeks. Put simply, within 3 months it is possible to determine whether someone has contracted an STI such as HIV, a fact which makes the current 12-month deferral period discriminatory and outdated.
We are campaigning for a shortening of the deferral period to a more reasonable four months, or alternatively, for eligibility to be determined by individual risk assessment. The Australian Red Cross state that ‘the underlying principle on which people give blood has to be one of mutual trust.’ This trust must be extended to the hundreds of thousands of queer persons it excludes for donating blood.
Our fight for policy change is not simple or cheap, requiring a great amount of resources on the part of the passionate crew and collaborators. As students, we are struggling to supply the funding required to ensure the effectiveness of the campaign and thus are turning to the public to support us in making it easier for queer men to donate blood. The funds generously donated will go towards producing marketing material, advertising the cause and funding awareness-raising events.
This one year deferral period directly contradicts the policies of organisations such as the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic, who have a ‘window period’ of six to twelve weeks. Put simply, within 3 months it is possible to determine whether someone has contracted an STI such as HIV, a fact which makes the current 12-month deferral period discriminatory and outdated.
We are campaigning for a shortening of the deferral period to a more reasonable four months, or alternatively, for eligibility to be determined by individual risk assessment. The Australian Red Cross state that ‘the underlying principle on which people give blood has to be one of mutual trust.’ This trust must be extended to the hundreds of thousands of queer persons it excludes for donating blood.
Our fight for policy change is not simple or cheap, requiring a great amount of resources on the part of the passionate crew and collaborators. As students, we are struggling to supply the funding required to ensure the effectiveness of the campaign and thus are turning to the public to support us in making it easier for queer men to donate blood. The funds generously donated will go towards producing marketing material, advertising the cause and funding awareness-raising events.
Organizer
Remy Pilot
Organizer
Tauranga, Bay of Plenty
