Justin Trudeau ‘upset’ by Canada’s restriction on gay and bisexual men donating blood

There’s being a passive ally and there’s being a vocal ally, and Canada is lucky to have found the latter in its prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau was accepting an award at the Toronto Hilton hotel from Egale Canada, the human rights group, for his LGBT+ advocacy efforts, and said that his government was “working” on current regulations that forbid gay and bisexual men from donating blood within one year of having had sex with another man (a rule that previously stipulated five years until 2016).

“Yes, we’re working on it, but I’m upset too that it’s not there yet,” he said, according to the Canadian Press.

“Our entire government is committed to full equality for the queer community,” he added. “You have my word on that.”

The Canadian Blood Services is “exploring the possibility of moving toward behaviour-based screening,” which could help them figure out a long-term solution.

Seems like a pretty paltry system, considering the UK has recently relaxed its laws surrounding gay and bisexual men who can donate blood, reducing the grace period to three months, rather than one year.

Dr. Gail Miflin, medical and research director at NHS Blood and Transplant said the change was based around the available medical and scientific evidence.

“We have one of the safest blood supplies in the world. Anyone may require a blood transfusion in the future and so it’s in all our interests to ensure that we work hard to keep blood safe for patients,” Miflin said.

“This starts with selection of donors before they give blood. Everyone must answer questions on their health and lifestyle before they donate and answering these questions correctly is crucial, in order to keep blood safe.”