Canadian Blood Services eyes removing sexual orientation-based donation restrictions
If Jason Goncalves has to answer detailed questions about his sex life in order to donate blood plasma, he'll grit his teeth and do it.
Never mind that heterosexual men don't face the same inquiries, including whether they are in a monogamous relationship.
Goncalves said he's just happy to be allowed to give blood plasma -- something he hadn't done since he was in high school because of a ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men who are sexually active with other men.
"It's odd to me how prehistoric the rules still are," the 33-year-old from London, Ont., said. "But it does feel pretty amazing to actually be able to know that I'm contributing to possibly helping other people's lives."
Goncalves was allowed to make his donation as part of a pilot project by Canadian Blood Services that began recently in London and Calgary.
It grants men who have sex with men the chance to donate their plasma, so long as they and their partner have been monogamous for the past three months.
Elsewhere in the country, men who have sex with men can donate blood or plasma only if they have abstained from sex for at least three months.
Canadian Blood Services is working to update those rules and plans to submit a request to Health Canada later this year to abandon time-based requirements for gay and bisexual men.
"We recognize it isn't ideal to be asking gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men questions that aren't asked of other donors," it said.
"That's one of the reasons Canadian Blood Services will make a submission to Health Canada by the end of 2021 to use sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors."
For now, the pilot project is a small step forward.
It imposes a 60-day hold on plasma donated by sexually active gay and bisexual men. The donor then has to return and donate again, and the first donation will only be used if both samples pass screenings for pathogens, such as HIV and hepatitis -- which all donations are tested for.
If the donor doesn't return within nine months of their first donation, Canadian Blood Services said, Health Canada requires that the plasma be tossed. Other donors aren't subject to that same requirement.
Many criteria can affect a person's ability to donate blood or plasma, such as the use of some prescription drugs and having recently received a piercing. But Goncalves said the strictures for men who have sex with men are rooted in inaccurate stereotypes that gay men are promiscuous.
"I'm just really confused as to how a man who has maybe slept with 100 women in the last month -- unprotected or not, they don't even ask that question because they don't care -- it's OK to donate blood and their blood will get used straight away," he said.
The pilot project only deals with plasma -- the part of blood that carries nutrients, which when separated from the rest of the blood is a wheat-coloured viscous fluid.
In some cases, Canadian Blood Services says, parts of the plasma are used to create drugs for people with burns, bleeding disorders and immune deficiencies. In other cases, patients with conditions such as liver failure and severe infections receive plasma transfusions.
The restrictions on donations from gay men have prompted fierce backlash given that Canadian Blood Services has said there's always a need for plasma.
The agency and its regulator, Health Canada, cite the higher proportion of HIV among gay men as the reason for the stricter rules.
Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada from 2018 suggests half of the roughly 62,000 Canadians living with HIV were men who have sex with other men.
But that shouldn't be the basis of what remains a "discriminatory" policy, argued Elisabeth Vesnaver, who is conducting research on the project in Calgary and London.
"People that donate in this program will be outed, they will be treated differently and their plasma is treated differently," she said.
Vesnaver interviewed men who gave plasma in London and Calgary and found many donors were reluctant to do so because of harsher earlier policies.
"There's this real lack of trust in the blood organization," Vesnaver said. "Individuals that I spoke to had personal histories of hurt because they were excluded from corporate blood drives, or school activities, or perhaps excluded from family cultures of donation."
She's helped Canadian Blood Services redesign its questions to gay men so they feel less singled out.
The agency has been working to repair its relationship with the gay community for years.
What started as a lifetime ban against sexually active gay men donating blood moved in 2013 to a requirement that men wait five years after having sex with another man before giving blood. Over time, the waiting period reduced to one year, and then to three months.
The ultimate goal is to remove restrictions on blood donated by gay men, but Canadian Blood Services has been held back by a lack of science, said Jacquie Gahagan, vice-president of research at Mount St. Vincent University.
Gahagan, whose pronouns are they and them, said authorities tend to "default to a narrative of risk avoidance" when it comes to plasma donations from men who have sex with men and gender diverse groups.
"You'll look at the data presented in the papers, and it will say: 'The data don't indicate a significant risk. However, if there's any risk, we should err on the side of caution, essentially, and not change the ban,"' Gahagan said.
For the time being, Goncalves said he's just happy to finally be able to donate plasma.
"It's a small step in the right direction," he said. "I'm just glad that it's a step at all."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Balancing act: Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO juggles Arctic airline challenges
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
In progressive Argentina, the 2SLGBTQ+ community says President Milei has turned back the clock
Past left-leaning presidents who enacted some of the most socially liberal policies on the continent have given way to a self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" whose fiery appraisals of social justice and efforts to dismantle diversity and equity programs have made him into a global far-right icon.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Local Spotlight
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors bet on who will win Round 2 of the playoffs. Here's what's at stake
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
'No other life taken': Mother leads ATV helmet drive to honour daughter's legacy
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.