This Brighton Pride weekend, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, will call for a ban on discrimination preventing gay men from giving blood.
Caroline, who will be attending the annual festival on Saturday, said: “I am incredibly proud to be an MP for a city that is known for being one of the most celebrated and progressive LGBTIQ cities not just in the country, but in the world.
“We have a great deal to celebrate this Pride. We stood up for the freedom to marry and now, at long last, we have that freedom. But other freedoms still elude us.”
“I’m proud to stand up for an end to the discriminatory restrictions on gay men donating blood.
“Not that long ago the rules were improved, but it’s still the case that gay men are discriminated against and it prevents gay men from giving others the freedom to live.
“This Pride, I hope you’ll join me in calling for a ban on discrimination preventing gay men giving blood.”
While the blanket ban on gay men giving blood has lifted, they are not allowed to give blood if they’ve been sexually active in the last 12 months. That restriction doesn’t apply if you are straight.
So if you are a monogamous gay man in a stable long term relationship, you face tighter restrictions than a straight man or woman who may have had unprotected sex with multiple partners.
To sign the petition for equal blood donor rules, CLICK HERE:
Caroline added: “The current rules are not backed by the scientific evidence, which supports a six month window before donating blood after a possible risk – for all donors regardless of sexual orientation – on the basis that tests for HIV and Hepatitis C can detect infection within that time.
“I have long lobbied Parliament for a change to these laws and will continue to campaign for the government to offer more opportunities for blood screening and ensure the increased supplies of safe blood our health service so urgently needs.”
In December 2010 Caroline co-sponsored a parliamentary motion urging Ministers to end the lifetime ban on gay men giving blood. The 2011 12-month compromise, while still discriminatory, was a step in the right direction following many years of inaction under the previous Labour Government. Leading Labour politicians Ed Miliband and Ed Balls admitted they didn’t do enough, while Labour’s shadow health secretary Andy Burnham wants the ban to remain in place.
This autumn, Caroline will table a new Parliamentary motion calling for full equality in blood donation and abolishing the 12 month deferral rule for gay men.
To view Caroline’s Pride video message, CLICK HERE:
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