“It's less stigmatizing, it's less discriminatory and support ideally greater and more equitable access to this opportunity for people who want to donate blood,” said Meredith Fraser, with Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. The exclusionary policy will now apply to everyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and include a questionnaire about sexual behaviour. I feel like now, I can be somebody who can contribute,” he said. “As a gay man, I really feel much more empowered by this policy than the previous policy. But to see the steps that we've taken actually come this far - it's not perfect - but it is a milestone that we've been waiting for a long time for,” Rosser said.įor Shawn Lewis, a Ward Two city councilor, Thursday’s announcement is also welcomed news. “When I got involved in the movement, I knew it was going to be a long process because it involves health policy. Rosser has been advocating for years against this policy. “To be honest, it was pretty emotional,” said advocate Andrew Rosser.Ĭurrently, Canadian Blood Services doesn’t allow men who have sex with men to donate unless they’ve been abstinent for three months. On Thursday, Health Canada announced that it had lifted the ban that prevented gay and bisexual men from donating blood.