Tasmania's blood supply agency has clung to AIDS myths dispelled more than 20 years ago to defend its blood ban in the anti-discrimination case brought by 25-year-old gay man Michael Cain. Kissing or nibbling another man's ear is enough to ban gay men from donating blood for life, a Red Cross expert has told the Tasmanian Anti Discrimination Tribunal, reports the Sydney Star-Observer. US professor Dr Paul Holland, a former blood source executive testifying for the Red Cross, claimed even digital penetration of the nose or ear would justify the lifetime ban his country imposes on gay men. "That would usually be sufficient to exchange fluid and qualify as sex," Dr Holland told the Tribunal. When asked if that included gay men who had done nothing more than kissing, Holland replied, "Yes, sir, because they increase their chance of transmitting an infection such as HIV." Saliva, by itself, cannot transmit HIV – a healthy person's saliva contains enzymes which kill the HIV virus, research has shown. Unprotected anal sex is the riskiest activity for gay men in the transmission of HIV, so condom use every time is advised. Witnesses opposed to the current blood ban have pointed out that safe sex – using condoms – is more common among gay men than heterosexual men. As the tribunal case continues, the Australian Red Cross has also claimed that specific questions which may have to be used to decide if a gay man's sexual history would take too long for donors to respond to, and may lead to 'walk outs' by regular donors. The Red Cross' lawyer also took a page out of the anti-gay Christian lobby's strategy stating gay male monogamy was a myth. The Tribunal heard a flurry of statistics from the Red Cross based on a New Zealand focus group of 11 couples that appeared to show gay men have 10 times as many partners as heterosexual men. "It's justifying its current gay blood ban policy using some of the grossest and most offensive myths and stereotypes around," long-time gay equality activist Rodney Croome told the Sydney Star Observer. The case continues until next week, and comes as the New Zealand Blood Service also reviews its policy on donations by gay men.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 21st August 2008 - 1:06pm