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The Sichuan earthquake caused such a large number of Chinese people to step out and donate blood that mobile blood donation buses around the nation had to stop accepting donations because more has been given than needed. Several lesbians were unhappy though when told their blood would not be accepted because of a blanket ban on blood donation by homosexuals by the Ministry of Health under the Blood Donor Health Check Requirements 《供血者健康检查标准》. Para 6.16 of the above ordinance bans homosexuals and people with multiple sex partners from donating blood.
The lesbian magazine les+ has published an article Where are you, LES blood donors? (献血的拉拉，你在哪里？) to criticise the blanket ban and to solicit stories from readers so as to help Tongyu, a Beijing-based lesbian organisation, to agitate for an amendment of the regulations:
After Wenchuan was hit by an 8 magnitude earthquake, the whole nation has been in deep sorrow. People all over China actively donate either money or blood, trying to express their concern. In the homosexual community, we also make donations for the earthquake-stricken area, and many of us went to donate blood without any hesitation, in hope of saving more lives of the victims.Global Voices has translated a selection of comments from various online bulletin boards that reflect a spectrum of views and are well worth reading.
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A lot of LESs find out the regulations of blood donation have specified the homosexual people are prohibited from donating blood. The blood stations rejected some LESs' offer when they indicated their sexual orientation (even some of them have the rare RH-negative blood), on the ground that the homosexual is the high-risk group of AIDS.
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However, as to the contaminated blood transmitted by unprotected sex, lesbians are not more dangerous than any other groups. A study applying to all the sexually transmitted diseases (STD), including AIDS and Hepatitis B, showed that sex between women is comparatively low-risky (compared to other groups).
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During the national calamity, everyone is trying to contribute something to help the victims and save lives, but the unreasonable regulations have prevented altruistic act of the homosexual and disappointed all of us. LESs long to take an active part in the disaster relief, so please don't turn down our earnest donations.
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Tongyu, a lesbian association in Beijing, is collecting the blood donation stories of LESs, and going to call for an amendment of blood donation rules. LESs who have donated blood please send email to tongyu.org@gmail.com , telling us your experience of donation. Let's hold on together to eliminate the homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation; help others and help ourselves! [Translation by Meng Zhang of Global Voices]
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I can understand the ban on blood donations from homosexual men because that's a pretty universal protocol, but what's with the ban against lesbians? Doesn't seem to make much sense.
Wouldn't want to have an outbreak of Sichuan girls sporting buzz cuts, camos and work boots.
Just like Al Capone being jailed for tax evasion, nanheyangrouchuan's last comment should be all the justification Shanghaiist needs for booting his stupid ass off the forum. As if all the ill-informed China stuff weren't enough.
Grow up, man. Your brands of racism and discrimination are pretty pathetic. And I'll never forget when you called Fred Thompson a serious thinker.
I agree with the previous comment. An online forum is no place for a sense of humor. Serious it up now.
A sense of humor is one thing. Lord knows the world needs laughter.
But that guy is a font of ignorance, conspiracy theories, and prejudice. He's the boor at the bar who drives away the thoughtful customers.
Maybe it's some kind of meta-commentary on the pointlessness of commentary.
I think it's pretty amusing. Especially when you criticize him and he says "Haven't been laid recently?" Classic.
@ Shanghaibrownwinger
My statement is neither racist (because lessies aren't an ethnic group) nor discriminatory (because I'm not keeping them out of bars, out of jobs or in separate areas).
Homophobic and overly generalizing would be more accurate labels.
And I'm guessing you haven't been laid lately by the tone of your random indignation.
I took the post more as a commentary on Chinese perceptions rather than a rip on lesbians.
Stages of an argument with Nanheyangrouchuan:
1- Refute one of his racist, homophobic or otherwise ridiculous claims.
2-Get accused of "panda-licking" or being a "brown-winger", whatever that means.
3-Make fun of his ignorance. His level of venom could really only come from the deepest depths of complacent stupidity.
4-Come back hours later and find that he has taken the time from his busy schedule to copy-paste (without attribution) a list of China's missile capabilities. Bonus points for another ad hominem attack.
5-Throw up your hands in frustration.
6-Get laid.
The prohibition of accepting homosexuals as blood donors, whether it is in China or the USA, is ridiculous and simply an illogical knee-jerk reaction. Any blood donated is already checked for a multitude of infectious agents, including HIV, so restricting donations to entire groups whose members may not have any of those infections is ludicrous. All such a rejection does is sow enmity to an entire class of people, it does nothing to safeguard the blood supply.
In the USA, blood donations are prohibited by males who admit to having sexual relations with other males, but lesbians are not excluded. Even the gay male prohibition is not warranted by any medical reason now, it is simply a continuation of ignorance and prejudice.
@ ShanghaiLowBaller:
You forgot #1.5:
Be corrected for incorrectly labeling nanheyangrouchuan's colorful commentaries.
And I haven't pasted a list of Chinese missile capabilities in a long time.
Bad, bad China.
Totally agree with Fuzi