Lesbians can now give blood in China
A ban that has been on the books for more than 10 years was lifted this past July 1.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Xander Gamble
The Chinese Ministry of Health lifted the blood donation ban on lesbians because of their low risk of HIV, according to the revised version of blood donor healthrequirements.
According to a CNN report, the ban still applies to men who are sexually active with other men, but celibate homosexuals are permitted to give blood, according to the Ministry of Health’s website.
The original ban, enacted in 1998, barred homosexuals of both genders from donating blood out of a fear of spreading HIV and AIDS.
In addition to gay men, drug addicts and people with multiple sexual partners are still under the ban.
Xu Bin, a prominent lesbian rights activist in China, told the Global Times she applauded the amendment and what it means for lesbians in China.
However, Zhang Beichuan, one of China’s leading scholarson gay and lesbian issues said, “It’s understandable to keep the ban on gay men, which is in line with international practices,but its real effect is highly questionable. It’s hard to verify if a donor is gay or not, as people can lie on forms.”
The ban lift was a long time coming. China Daily reports in 2009 about 540 lesbians on the Chinese mainland signed a petition urging health authoritiesto remove the discriminatory ban.
