That's what they're saying with this new policy,' said Karas.ĭuration 3:04 Health Canada has approved ending a ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men, basing screening on sexual behaviour instead of gender or sexuality. They're stigmatizing us through this new policy. 'What they're saying is that gay and bi men and transgender. 'They won't be screening for vaginal sex, they won't be screening for condom use or any other risk behaviour that they should be screening for,' he said. Karas notes there are no questions about vaginal sex in the questionnaire, even though it is one of the primary modes of HIV infection. Anal sex is high risk factor, says doctor It also says the shift comes after 'countless hours' of work by LGBTQ and other groups, who have long advocated for a change in policy. The agency says asking about sexual behaviour, rather than sexual orientation, will allow it to more reliably assess the risk of infections such as HIV that can be transmitted through infusions. The new policy will be implemented no later than Sept. 'But I know that a lot of gay, bi men and trans people will still be barred by this policy, so I think it's a bit unfortunate that the government has decided this is the approach they want to take,' said Karas. Christopher Karas, a gay man who filed a human rights complaint against Health Canada, says the new policy still stigmatizes gay and bisexual men.
