Calgary paramedic 'elated' as Canada ends blood ban for men who have sex with men

Story Transcript

Calgary paramedic Glenndl Miguel is keen to roll up his sleeve and donate blood. 

Last year, Miguel was one of the first plasma donors in a pilot program in Calgary and London, Ont., that expanded eligibility for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

Soon, more gay and bisexual men in Canada, as well as some transgender and nonbinary people, will be able to donate blood too, thanks to a new policy change from Canadian Blood Services (CBS) that LGBTQ advocates say was a long time coming.

CBS announced Thursday that Health Canada has approved its request to end the policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood for three months after being sexually active.

Under the new policy, potential donors will no longer be asked about their gender and sexual orientation. Instead, all would-be donors, regardless of gender or orientation, will be screened on higher-risk sexual behaviour, such as anal sex with a new partner.

Canada's blood ban began in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS crisis, after more than 2,000 Canadians contracted HIV from donated blood. At first, Canada banned blood donations from all men who'd had sex with men since 1977. The government gradually whittled down that abstinence periods to five years, three years, and then three months in 2019.

Advocates and medical experts have long argued the blood ban policy is outdated, stigmatizing and does not reflect current risk factors.

Here is part of Miguel's conversation with As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.

How are you reacting to this news today?

I'm feeling very elated after seeing the news this morning. It was something that has been a long time coming and something that many of us in the community have been really hoping for to come to fruition a lot sooner rather than later.

And you've been doing more than hoping. You've been working on a local advisory committee in Calgary on this issue. Do you feel that your work has contributed to today's change?

I believe so.

Seeing the comments and the feedback that we have brought get understood and forwarded to Health Canada and actioned upon in this way is a really good feeling for many of us in there.

How long have you been working on this issue?

With the local advisory, I've been there for just under two years. But I've been a proponent for changes in the blood donation policy for as long as I can remember.

What will today's announcement mean for you when it is implemented later this year?

The biggest meaning I'm taking away from this is that Health Canada and Canadian Blood Services are finally recognizing us for the people who we are, rather than just the sexual identity that we go by.

And this step towards equality in the blood system and the health-care system overall shows that the work that we were putting into the system is finally paying off, and that we're finally benefiting from being seen as the same as our neighbours, as our friends, as our family members.

Canadian Blood Services says the new criteria will ask donors if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the last three months. If they answer yes, they will be asked if they have had anal sex. And if they have, they'll then be required to wait three months to donate. What do you make of that?

I believe that's an appropriate switch to the current questions that we have right now. These new questions that they've put forward are concerned about high-risk sexual behaviour, rather than just sexual orientation.

So though they might not be perfect for everyone who wants to donate in the system, they are a lot more equitable to everyone involved. And the fact that these questions are being asked to everyone, rather than just to men or to gay men specifically, I feel like that's a great step forward.

For years, the current policy has been called discriminatory. Back as far as 2015, Justin Trudeau vowed to scrap it. What do you think of the fact that it has taken until 2022 for this to happen?

There was a great deal of disappointment in many people that I have spoken to about this, in the fact that this was a political promise so many years ago and it was never actioned upon. It had to take the work of people who are working inside and outside from the ground and within the organization to make the change, rather than politicians.

So I take pride in the fact that this was a change that was initiated by people who wanted to make it happen, rather than as a political piece of commentary.

Knowing that even a single person, a new donor, can make a new difference, I think it's a great piece of news hearing this today that there are more people who are able to make a difference in other people's lives.- Glenndl Miguel, paramedic and anti-blood ban advocate 

What has it felt like to be singled out in this way and been denied the ability to help other people by donating blood?

And as a gay person, it's already a challenge for many people like myself to come out of the closet in our lives. And by having a stigma exist in a country —  which, for so many years we've presented ourselves as being ahead of the curve when it comes to gay and lesbian and trans rights — it's disappointing that we still have these limitations that exist in the system, never being kind of officially moved upon as the years progressed.

You have already been participating in a plasma donation pilot project in Calgary. How does it make you feel when you donate?

It feels great coming into the donation centre and being treated just like any other person there without any kind of pomp or circumstance or being singled out because I am gay.

The staff there are very supportive. The staff there all wear symbols to show support, even if they don't verbally say it, and it creates a comfortable environment.

I can only hope that this positive experience continues when, across the country, we're able to donate blood.

Beyond the announcement today, changing the screening process, what work do you want to see done to address the harm and the hurt that so many people affected by this have faced?

The biggest work that I'd like to get done is to see CBS be quite public about their recognition and understanding of the harm that was caused with these policies in the past.

There have been many smaller groups amongst community members and with some CBS staff where this discussion has taken place. But we haven't seen a major release across the country to the world, and even representation in terms of social media, of embracing people like myself who are affected by this policy.

We should point out that you are a paramedic. From that perspective, what does this announcement mean?

I have a pretty firm understanding of the importance of blood, blood products and plasma and plasma products across the health-care system. We constantly hear not only on the radio and TV as well, of our shortage of blood. We don't hear often about the incredible shortage of plasma.

But knowing that even a single person, a new donor, can make a new difference, I think it's a great piece of news hearing this today that there are more people who are able to make a difference in other people's lives. 

Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from Reuters and The Canadian Press. Interview produced by Katie Geleff. Q&A edited for length and clarity.