Gays Are Better At Safe Sex
A sexual health expert has slammed the Red Cross’ blanket ban on gay-male donors, calling it comparable to racism, as an anti-discrimination trial continues in Hobart this week.
Associate Professor and Director of Gay & Lesbian Health Victoria, Anne Mitchell spoke in front of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal yesterday, indicating men should be assessed on what they’ve done, not who they are. The ban she said, can be likened to refusing a donor for “being Jewish or Indigenous.”
Her comments are in line with gay and lesbian rights organisations involved in the campaign, maintain that gay men do not pose a risk to blood supplies, but that unsafe sex does – and that this applies to gay and straight individuals alike.
“Many of the samples in studies cited by the Red Cross are very small, recruited from men at high risk, and explicitly exclude men who practise safe sex in monogamous relationships. They are not representative of all men who have sex with men,” said Mitchell, speaking to the tribunal.
Noting a recent study which found that the chances of heterosexual HIV transmission may have been underestimated by 300%, Prof Mitchell said.
“In those whose behaviour is exclusively heterosexual, safe sex practices are less common… if there was an outbreak of HIV amongst heterosexuals in Australia it would clearly spread more rapidly than it would in the gay community.”
Considered an expert in HIV/AIDS community development work, Mitchell ran workplace workshops educating about HIV throughout the height of Australian era of ‘AIDS panic’ in the eighties, and has pushed for the safety of same-sex attracted youth in schools.
21-year-old Michael Cain brought complaints against the Red Cross when he was refused the right to donate because he answered ‘yes’ to having had male-to-male sex in the Red Cross blood donor questionnaire.
Canada and the United States continue to ban gay-men from blood donation, while Spain does not question individuals on sexual preference, only sexual practice. Spain also maintains one of the highest amount of donations in the world.
Your Thoughts
Hey there, you need to be logged in to get involved with SameSame, click here to login if you're already a member, or here if you need to become a new member.
Tanya
said on the 14th Aug, 2008