At a time when Canada’s blood supply is critically low, there’s a massive untapped pool of potential donors — the estimated 300,000 gay Canadians who cannot legally donate. In response to this issue the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) has released a tongue-in-cheek video reminding us that "there’s no such thing as gay blood."

In 2013, Canadian Blood Services took a first step towards lifting the ban, allowing gay males who had been abstinent for a minimum of five years to donate. Although this was a step in the right direction, it only applies to a fraction of the potential donors. In the United States, men who have had sex with other men at any time since 1977 are currently deferred as blood donors.

Canada’s ban dates back to the mid 1980s — a time when AIDS was rapidly emerging as a deadly, incurable threat. The gay community was in crisis, and no HIV testing procedures for blood donations were in place yet. At the time, a sweeping ban made sense, but a lot has changed since then. Today, every donation given at Canadian Blood Services is thoroughly tested for pathogens, including HIV.

The song featured in the video, Any Which Way, was donated free of charge by American pop band The Scissor Sisters.

In addition to sharing the PSA and signing the petition, CCDI is requesting concerned citizens tweet at Canadian Blood Services https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Mlq9PEWqI
Signing the petition: https://www.change.org/p/dr-graham-d-sher-ceo-of-canadian-blood-services-end-the-ban-on-gay-men-being-able-to-donate-blood-in-canada
Keeping the momentum going using #EndTheBan on social