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Pride

By GayNo Comments

Pride has been a good weekend. I got to march in the parade under Peter Tatchell’s community entry.

I do think a lot of the gay community have forgot what it used to be like to be gay and what pride is suppose to be about. 10 Years ago there were no gay people in the media and we had significantly less rights. Less rights included Section 28 being law, sexual consent age 18 and no rights to marry (no society recognition of our relationships therefore meaning no legal recognition of our relationships). We also had label of HIV being a gay disease and lost many of our friends to this hidden disease.

And as if this wasn’t enough there was a lack of tolerence and respect for diversity. It was a hetrosexual world with many gay, lesbian and bisexual people experiencing homophobia and sometimes even hate crimes. We often felt isolated and those who were brave enough to come out of their closet were often made homeless. There was one gay pub now on Manchester’s highly populated gay village (the New Union), it required a secret knock to gain entry and was regularly raided by the police.

We have come along way, but are still fighting for true equality and to change some people’s values. Some people still believe it’s a “choice” and that according to their religion or moral values it’s “wrong” or “unnatural” (god I hate that phrase – homosexuality has been seen in almost every animal species, so how can it be unnatural?). There are even people who turn their views in to physical violence towards homosexuals.

Yes pride is a celebration of how far we’ve come (and gays know how to throw a party!), but we must not forget that we still have to keep the aim of true equality.

Take Care,

Antony x

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Sunday 30 August 2009

The blood debate continues

By Gay, Health, Thinking3 Comments

I recently read this Pink News article entitled “Government defends ban on gay men giving blood”.

Ms Primarolo, the Minister of State for Public Health, said:

“Current policy excludes men who have ever had sex with men, whatever their sexual orientation, from blood donation.

“The United Kingdom adopts a highly precautionary approach to blood safety.

“The guiding principle is that if the best available evidence shows that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a course of action will improve the safety of the blood, this action should be taken.

“The Department is committed to regularly reviewing this evidence, and has asked its expert advisory committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs to do this in 2009.”
(from: Pink News Last accessed: 12th February 09)

So let’s look at the debate For & Against

For

  • The National Blood Service (NBS) test the blood for HIV and other infections anyway.
  • There have been massive HIV education and safe sex initiatives nationally aimed at the gay community generally as well as specific ones aimed at men who have sex with men. (This is easily visable if you walk in to any gay bar – all will have condoms.)
  • The evidence base that the National Blood Service (NBS) use to justify the ban is out of date. (If you email them – they will send you the related evidence.) In addition to this you can use evidence base to prove almost anything by selecting the evidence that demonstrates what you wish it too.
  • Recently HIV rates have increased and continue to do so in hetrosexuals (see Hetrosexual HIV Cases Show An Increase). Despite this they have not banned Hetrosexuals. This point justifies my next:
  • Hetrosexuals can be as sexually risky as men whom have sex with men.
  • Why a life time ban? What if you are a man that’s had sex with a man but had a HIV (and other STI’s tests) that have all come back negative. These men are still unable to give blood, even though they have been screened as negative (and may not have had sex since).
  • Equality. The Goods and Services Legislation (2007) state that people should not be excluded from services because of their sexual orintation. The NBS is a service and is excluding men that have sex with men (of which a large proporation identify as gay or bisexual) because of the very fact of their sexual orintation.
  • The final reason relates to the fact that there is a storage of blood donors and blood. The NBS is excluding a whole community of people when there is a shortage of both donors and blood. This doesn’t make sense to me. I mean they test the blood (and/or it’s components) anyway.

    • Against

  • The safety of the blood. Men who have sex with men are at a higher risk of HIV infection.
  • Men who have sex with men are a minority group. A much smaller community than the mainstream community. Therefore the HIV transmittion is likely to spread through a smaller community quicker as men are more likely to come in to contact with a HIV positive person.

    • Thinking about it I think the NBS are hiding behind the “safety of the blood” statement. They refuse to recognise that as men who have sex with men are a smaller group and as such their rates of HIV transmittion are always going to be higher than that of a much larger community.

    Interesting linka:
    Facts missing in HIV-blood debate
    NBS – Position Statement
    PETER TATCHELL says the ban on gay blood donors is based on homophobic myths that stereotype and demonise gay men.
    NUS – LGBT Donation not discrimination
    My Telegraph – Mike Rouse

    The last link My Telegraph – Mike Rouse, relates to a online petition to the Prime Ministers No. 10 site that I signed (see No. 10 Petitions). A total of 5,234 signatures signed the petition at the time. But I think we didn’t have a massive response as many people in the hetrosexual world are totally unaware of this ban.

    This post demonstrates that there aren’t many reasons against why men who have sex with men giving blood, yet there are many reasons for men who have sex with men to give blood.

    Just food for thought,

    Antony

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    Monday 16 February 2009

    World AIDS Day

    By Gay, Health, LifeNo Comments

    Hey Everyone,

    Just wanted to let you all know it’s World AIDS Day today. You can find out what’s going on in your area by going to the World AIDS Day 2008 website.

    On there will also give the locations of where you can buy your red ribbon – to raise awareness.

    Take care,

    Antony

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    Monday 1 December 2008

    No. 10 Petitions

    By Gay, Health, PoliticalNo Comments

    After discovering e-petitions for No. 10 Downing St (see Get politically active!), I have checked for relevant ones on a regular basis. Here’s a few that are relevant to me and my life:

    http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Blood-Equality/
    The has been a big story line in Holy Oaks about gay men (or men that sleep with men) not being able to give blood due to the increased risk of HIV and other blood bourne viruses. I emailed the Blood service a few years back requesting the evidence base for this.

    I recieved a response. The evidence base was out of date by several years. I don’t have the email any more, but I may email again to get the info. so I can post it here.

    The evidence base does not reflect national stats, which state HIV infection rates are increasing in hetrosexuals faster than gay men for the first time ever. In addition to this, blood is screened, cleaned and broken down in to components anyway so it should be safe for the recipient.

    This all of course when there is a national drive, due to the shortage of blood. The irony.

     

    http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Stopdeportinggay/
    This is a petition to stop deporting gay and lesbians who face persecution in their own country. Now, I recognise the need for immigration control. However, is it fair or humanistic to send a person back to their home county where they face being hung. It is enough that we still have oppression, homophobia and discrimination in our society. Let’s not send people back to their own countries where it is worse.

     

    http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/diabetes-cure/
    This petition is to ask the government to fund stem cell research to find a cure for diabetes. As many of you know, I am a suffer. I have also read of the research around stem cells from America and it does look promising. From an economic point of view, if we could cure diabetes it would save the country millions of pounds in what they spend in prescriptions (for insulin, needles, clippers, test strips, BM machines, etc.). Not to mention the costs to businesses that employ diabetic in terms of days off sick (as diabetics are more prone to illnesses).

     

    I am by no means asking you to sign these for me. Just sign which of these you feel are relevent to your life. And what you would like to petition Gordan Brown to make a priority.

    Blog soon,

    Antony

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    Tuesday 2 September 2008
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