Australian man
challenges Red Cross ban on gay male blood donors

A gay man from the Australian state of Tasmania is challenging a ban on blood donated by gay men who have been sexually active in the last year. Michael Cain, 23, said at a hearing before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal today that the Red Cross Blood Service there should accept donations from men who have had safe sex and not categorically deny them the opportunity to give blood, The Australian newspaper reports. Although the nation's blood supply is currently reaching dangerously low levels, with only a day and a half of supplies left, the Red Cross defended its discriminatory policy at the tribunal. The United States has a similar discriminatory policy that goes even further and bans donations from all gay men. The tribunal's decision is expected to have wide-ranging implications. "The Tasmanian tribunal hearings will be watched carefully by governments and health experts the world over," Rodney Croome of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group told The Australian. (The Advocate)