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Liberal Democrat leader supports new campaign to lift gay men blood ban
A UK campaign to allow gay men to donate blood without limitations has received support from the newly-elected Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron.
The campaign ‘Freedom to Donate’ wants to remove limitations on blood donations from gay men who can only donate 12 months after their last sexual contact with a man.
‘Sex’ is described on the NHS’s blood.co.uk website as anything ‘penetrative’ (oral and anal) and explained as relating to higher incidence in HIV infection in men who have sex with men.
This deferral period was called ‘Draconian’ by Freedom to Donate’s founder, Ethan Spibey. He an introduction video to the campaign, he said the restrictions made him feel ‘shame and guilt’ for being gay.
Spibey is an account executive at GK Strategy, a public sector consultancy firm.
In an article for Huffington Post UK, Farron said he is: ‘Thrilled to put my support behind [the campaign].
He describes the deferral period as: ‘Frankly inexcusable’, and ‘patently doesn’t make sense’.
A campaign video said the number of donations have dropped 40% over the last decade, and 6,000 blood transfusions take place everyday.
Farron puts at the end of the article: ‘Perhaps the biggest irony is that we are putting barriers in the way of people doing something unbelievably generous and absolutely vital to help other people.’
He added: ‘[legislation] urgently needs to change.’
The campaign has received further support from Green Party’s former leader Caroline Lucas and Stuart Andrew, the openly gay MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough.
Farron, a Christian, was recently the subject of criticism over a TV interview on Channel 4 in which he refused to say whether he thought gay people were ‘sinful’.
‘Everyone is a sinner, and everyone has the offer of redemption,’ he said.
In a follow-up interview he added: ‘I’m passionate about LGBT-plus rights, for example, and as the leader of a Liberal party, that is something that will be at the top of my agenda throughout the time that I am leader of our party.’
Image: Dave Radcliff | CC 2.0
The post Liberal Democrat leader supports new campaign to lift gay men blood ban appeared first on Gay Star News.
Jack Flanagan
www.gaystarnews.com/article/liberal-democrat-leader-supports-new-campaign-to-lift-gay-men-blood-ban/
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