A Campaign of the Canadian Federation of Students The Homophobic CBS Questionnaire Has Got To Go!
Inform Yourself!
What is the issue?
The CBS (Canadian Blood Service) questionnaire contains a question which equates being a gay man with being at high risk for HIV/AIDS. (The question reads: The following activities put you at risk for AIDS: if male, having sex with a male, even once?[...]) The questionnaire also ignores the real high risk activities for HIV/AIDS. By singling out gay men (and other groups, such as prostitutes) as high risk, the CBS is discriminating inaccurately and unfairly and is perpetuating myths and stereotypes about HIV/AIDS.
AIDS is not "only a gay man's disease": it affects all of us. For example, heterosexual womyn who engage in high risk activities for HIV/AIDS are the fastest growing sector to be infected with HIV. By barring openly gay/bi men from giving blood, the CBS is missing out on thousands of safe willing donors and certainly doing nothing to stop another very dangerous disease in this situation: misinformation.
What's the solution?
The LGBT*C recognizes that the CBS provides an important and humanitarian service to Canadians, but we demand that the CBS change its survey to reflect the real issue when it comes to the spread of HIV/AIDS: it's not who you are (gay, straight, bisexual, celibate), it's what you do (unsafe oral, anal or vaginal sex, sharing needles...).
The CBS has already eliminated or altered questions that were perceived as racist or as an attack on individuals who have been sexually assulted: why can't they get rid of vague and discriminatory questions regarding gay men? Why does the CBS refuse to take a stand against homophobia? What is being done?
The LGBT*C is suggesting that the CBS change its wording of the contentious question to something like this:
The following activities are known to put you at risk for HIV/AIDS:
-sharing needles
-unprotected oral, anal or vaginal intercourse (sex), for gay and straight couples
-any activity involving the significant exchange of bodily fluids such as vaginal fluid, semen and blood.
If you have engaged in these activities since 1977, you are not eligible to give blood.
Getting the facts out on HIV/AIDS is also key to dealing with the larger issue of the HIV/AIDS epidemic sweeping the world today. The LGBT*C in conjunction with the UWSA has mounted an eductaional campaign to help raise awareness of the issue, but there are many other organizations in the city who may be able to provide you with much more detailed information or help. On campus, try the Health Nurse and the Peer AIDS Educational Workers (786-9496), Peer Support (786-9867) and us, the LGBT* Collective (786-9025). Off-campus, try Village Clinic, the Women's Health Clinic, Klinic, the Gay/Lesbian Resource Centre, the AIDS Shelter Coalition of Manitoba, the AIDS/STD INformation Line (945-2437), the Facts of Life Line (947-9222) and others....
What can I do?
There are a number of things you can do to get the CBS to change their questionnaire:
-Boycott the CBS clinic until they change their questionnaire.
-Refuse to donate to them in other ways until they change their questionnaire.
-Write to the CBS to let them know that homophobia is not acceptable
-Share this information with people you know.
-Write to the campus newspaper, The Uniter or other media to let others know about the issue.
-Whatever you do, communicate in writing to the CBS about your actions or about how their discriminatory questionnaire makes you feel.
Contact the Canadian Blood Service (Manitoba) at:
226 Osborne St. North
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 1V4
Ph: 942-7400
Fax: 772-9394
What's happened so far?
The CFS (Canadian Federation of Students) has placed a ban on the CBS, and has aneducational campaign to enlighten students about the discriminatory question. The CFS has also lobbied the CBS to alter or get rid of its question. However much still has to be done...
Here at the U of W, the UWSA has banned the CBS from coming on campus, at the recommendation of the LGBT*C. This means that the CBS cannot come on campus and set up a clinic with the support of the UWSA. However, this decision does not apply to the university administration, who may let the CBS come on campus.
Now we are not saying that the CBS does not provide a valuable, necessary service, but rather that they are just going about it in the wrong way.
We are asking that you become aware of the issues, and then make a decision about what to do, about what you feel is right.
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