Students Campaign to End Blood Ban

A student group in Canada is working on launching a campaign to allow gay men to donate blood in the nation.

The Canadian Federation of Students has officially opposed the ban on gay blood donors since 1998, but with a new policty allowing men who have sex with men to donate bone marrow and stem cells, the group is hoping that this is one step closer to overturning the blood-donation ban.

Brent Farrington, a campaigner for the student group, told Xtra magazine that the change, which Canadian Blood Services made in October, was positive.

"It's a no-brainer," he says. "Sure, it's a positive step in that it recognizes that there isn't an inherit risk [posed by gay men.]"

There are still 800 people on waiting lists for bone marrow transplants since gays were allowed to donate in October, according to One Match, the program through which Canadian Blood Services collects information.