As a young and healthy Tasmanian, Ben Dudman was of the belief he would be able to donate blood to the Australian Red Cross Society without issue.
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Spurred on by calls by the Red Cross over the summer for more blood donors, Mr Dudman went online to find out how he could help and, like any Gen Z person who loves an online quiz, completed an eligibility test to discover he was unable to donate.
Mr Dudman found out according to the Red Cross's policy he had engaged in "at risk sexual behaviour:" the act of having sex with another man.
Mr Dudman since has called on the three leaders of the major political parties and the Red Cross Tasmania to consider a new blood donation policy.
"The current policy of excluding all sexually-active gay men from blood donation limits the amount of safe blood available to those in need, and stigmatises gay men as a threat to public health," Mr Dudman said.
"It's time for a new blood donation policy that screens potential donors for the safety of the sexual activity, not the gender of their sexual partners.
"My blood is safe. Let's use it to save lives. Let me donate my blood."
Mr Dudman said the current exclusion is a throwback to a time almost 40 years ago when HIV was much less understood, and myths about gay men all being promiscuous and irresponsible were more widely held.
"Since then, blood testing has improved immensely, rates of HIV infection among gay men have decreased, and Australians have shown they support inclusion and equality for LGBTIQ+ people."
Under the current policy, gay or bisexual men can only donate blood if they have not had male-to-male sex, including with a condom, within the last 12 months.
"I had sex that was completely safe, using a condom, and yet the Red Cross believes that, because I am a man who has sex with men, I am a high risk of carrying transmittable diseases," Mr Dudman said.
"To put this in perspective, a heterosexual person could have multiple sexual partners at any one time and providing they use a condom they are considered to be "safe" to donate blood.
"This is an out of date attitude, especially coming off the back of the marriage equality result in 2017."
A 2008 case before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal found that ongoing scrutiny of the deferral period was required to maintain blood safety and limit discrimination, however according to Mr Dudman that scrutiny has not occurred.
"I believe the Red Cross Society's eligibility criteria for donating blood are unfair, outdated and blatantly homophobic," Mr Dudman said.
"I call upon the Australian Red Cross Society to review its policy position in light of modern medical advances, so that blood donations can remain safe, while also removing discrimination towards gay and bisexual men."
The Red Cross Society Tasmania were contacted for comment.