CHINA> National
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned
    By Shan Juan (China Daily)
    Updated: 2009-07-28 07:13

    College student Li Yu instinctively answered a call last week from the government for blood donation, but it was her honesty that caused authorities to turn her away.

    "I don't understand why and I feel discriminated against," Li, 20, told China Daily.

    Li is a lesbian. Healthcare workers rejected her blood because she declared her sexual orientation on a mandatory health form.

    Li is one of the latest lesbians to face such treatment under regulations that bar homosexuals from donating blood because of health concerns.

    Special coverage:
    Same-Sex Commitment
    Related readings:
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned 
    Gay to run despite sore groin
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned Beijing youth pave way for gay acceptance
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned Gay Pride week celebrated in Shanghai
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned Worldwide gay pride parade
    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned Europeans revel in annual Gay Pride Parade
    Liu Mei (not her real name), a lesbian in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, expected healthcare workers to view her similarly during Liu's attempt last month to donate blood.

    So she lied on her health declaration form.

    "They took my blood after I lied on the form to hide my real sexual orientation," said the 29-year-old office clerk, who lives with her partner of four years.

    Both of Li and Liu have signed an online petition asking the government to remove the discriminatory rule.

    At least 540 lesbians nationwide have signed the online petition, Liu said. Their goal is 1,000 signatures.

    Lesbian donors take action over being shunned

    "We just hope the authorities respect our kind intention to donate blood and remove the discrimination," Liu said. "I think it's also what China's 30 million homosexuals, including 10 million lesbians, want," said Li.

    Shi Weiwei, deputy director of the Beijing Red Cross Blood Center, told China Daily that the regulations barring homosexuals from donating blood stem from safety concerns.

    "As we all know, the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including the deadly HIV/AIDS, is much higher among groups such as drug users and homosexuals, particularly gay men, who tend to have multiple sex partners," she said.

    As of 2007, about 700,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in China, according to figures of Ministry of Health (MOH).

    For the safety of blood recipients, people suffering from STDs, tuberculosis and hepatitis are also not allowed to donate, according to a blood donation regulation issued by the MOH in 1998, Shi said.

    "Given that the blood quality and safety situation was bad in the 1990s, the regulation was devised primarily to ensure blood safety," she said.

    Shi said there now are measures to screen for tainted blood at the donation stage.

    But based on current regulations, there are no penalties for those who lie on health forms.

    Recipients of infusions are also required to sign a consent form before accepting the blood.

    The regulations, Shi said, need to be updated.

    Zhang Beichuan, one of the country's leading scholars in homosexuality issues, suggested fixing the current wording.

    "They should change homosexuals in the article to men having sex with men (MSM)," he told China Daily.

    Given that HIV/AIDS prevalence among MSM including gay men and bisexuals, as well as a number of straight men, can be 50 times higher than that of the population as a whole, it is understandable to rule out these groups in blood donations to safeguard recipients' health, Zhang said.

    "It's also in line with international practices," he said.

     

     

    亚洲av永久无码精品秋霞电影影院| 中文字幕精品无码一区二区| 一级片无码中文字幕乱伦| 免费无码作爱视频| 成人性生交大片免费看中文| 亚洲AV无码乱码在线观看裸奔| 天堂在/线中文在线资源官网| 国产麻豆天美果冻无码视频| 亚洲中文字幕无码一区二区三区| 7777久久亚洲中文字幕| 无码视频在线播放一二三区| 亚洲2022国产成人精品无码区| 中文亚洲日韩欧美| 一区二区中文字幕| 亚洲精品乱码久久久久久中文字幕| 久久久无码精品午夜| 国产乱人无码伦av在线a| 无码人妻久久一区二区三区免费| 久久午夜福利无码1000合集| 中文字幕在线视频播放| 亚洲中文字幕在线第六区| 亚洲色偷拍区另类无码专区| 极品粉嫩嫩模大尺度无码视频| 国产av永久无码天堂影院| 日韩免费无码视频一区二区三区| 亚洲精品无码精品mV在线观看| 精品国产aⅴ无码一区二区| 免费A级毛片无码无遮挡内射| 精品人妻V?出轨中文字幕| 亚洲欧美日韩中文久久| 亚洲国产综合精品中文第一| 天堂亚洲国产中文在线 | 大桥久未无码吹潮在线观看| √天堂中文www官网在线| 日韩中文字幕在线播放| 中文字幕在线免费观看| 久久中文字幕视频、最近更新 | 极品粉嫩嫩模大尺度无码视频| 国产av永久无码天堂影院| 91精品久久久久久无码| 免费无码黄十八禁网站在线观看|