Israeli gay (and bisexual) men now also allowed to donate blood
An important step on the way to more equality and tolerance! In Israel, gay/bisexual men are now officially allowed to donate blood... Without private questioning and insinuations.
Until now, those affected were always asked on site whether they had had sex with a man in the last year. If the question was answered with "Yes!", they were excluded from the blood donation and accordingly discriminated against in an unbelievable way.
In the meantime, things have changed here. Now, local officials simply inquire whether blood donors have had "high-risk sexual relations with a new partner" in the previous three months.
New approach supported by Israeli health minister
Of course, the Israeli health minister has already spoken out in the meantime. He has come out himself and is open about his homosexuality. For some time now, he has been campaigning for a change in the regulations governing the donation of blood by queer men in his country. Accordingly, he is now relieved that this kind of discrimination is now a thing of the past.
In a statement, he now emphasized that every person who chooses to donate blood will be treated equally - regardless of sexual orientation.
Questions about questions - but what was actually the problem?
Time and again it becomes apparent in everyday life that many people cannot understand why gay men are bothered by the regulations surrounding blood donations in different countries. However, the answer is quite simple: as soon as it is assumed that a gay man must not have had sex for 12 months before donating, he is in a way put under general suspicion. After all, no such explosive questions are asked if the blood donor is heterosexual.
However, the fact that the sex lives of heterosexuals can be at least as "varied" as those of queers is not mentioned in this context.
Or to put it differently and even more directly: Despite many prejudices, AIDS is far from being the "typical gay disease" that would exclusively affect homosexual persons. Even if many people - especially in the 1970s and 1980s - were of this opinion: the current statistics surrounding the disease speak a different language.
Where can homosexuals donate blood without problems and where not?
In the meantime, blood donation bans for homosexuals have been and are being discussed in many different countries. Among others, the requirements in Great Britain and the USA have now been relaxed.
Many members of the LGBTQ community celebrated the move as an important milestone on the road to greater equality. If you are a gay man living in Germany and would like to donate blood, you will have to wait a little longer. Because: here relaxations are planned from September 2021.
By way of comparison, it is currently stipulated that gay men in this country must not have had sex for at least twelve months. From September, the respective relationship status will be queried in this context. Men who are in a committed relationship will then only be allowed to have had no sex for four months. However, this step does not go far enough for numerous members of the LGBTQ community. At the same time, they question the realistic basis of this requirement. After all, anyone living in a committed relationship is likely to have had sex with their partner at least once in the last four months. And whether it is worth it for men who would actually be "willing to donate blood" to forego sex for several weeks "only" to continue to be discriminated against (albeit less) in the end remains to be seen.
But perhaps it is the small steps that ultimately lead to the goal. Israel has shown how it can be done.