France has lifted its ban on
queer men giving blood
https://news.yahoo.com/france-just-lifted-homophobic-blood-134632476.html
Starting
in March 2022, Olivier Véran, the Health Minister of France, stated on twitter
that questions regarding sexual orientation will no longer be present in the
discussion of donating blood. He said this new change would, “put an end to an
inequality that was no longer justified”. This sanction dates all the way back
to 1983 which is interesting because it was not until the early 1990s that France’s
supply of donated blood was contaminated with HIV. Originally somewhat lifted
in 2016, the government first allowed people to donate only if they had proof
of one year of abstinence. Four months later due to rightful outrage from the
community, this time frame was changed to four months of abstinence in 2019. Today,
in lieu of sexual orientation questions, donors will be asked about HIV
prevention treatments and drug use. Matthieu Gatipon-Bachette, spokesperson for
the L’interassociative Lesbienne, Gaie, Bi et Trans, states, “There must
obviously be a health safety framework to respect, but it must not be based on
the sexual orientation of the donor”.
This
article is a fantastic example of France’s tendency to quietly keep homophobic
laws in place long after they should. In 1942, the Vichy Government changed the
age of consent for homosexual relationships to 21 while it remained 15 for heterosexual
relationships. This law was safeguarded under multiple articles in the constitution
until 1974. While there were no laws directly criminalizing homosexuality, this
laws was sufficient enough to make life harder for the LGBTQ+ community while
also ostracizing their lives and love. The blood donation law also made it
clear that the government considered gay men as dangerous and unhealthy as a
whole community. This subtly reinforces discriminatory thought and behavior in
French society. The ban being lifted will now help the community a chance to rebuild
trust in the department of public health.
(KaraLeigh Troyer)
ReplyDeleteYes, this is exactly as you said, a great example of how France takes especially long in lifting many discriminatory laws that limit minorities. Although, France was not make any new laws and therefore does not seem outright discriminatory, having these laws still in place conveys their position and view of minorities without them having to say much else. I think a recent type of thought that has been circulating in America is "if you aren't directly anti-racist then you're racist." Many would say that this isn't true as they don't believe that they have those prejudices or discriminate against people of color. However, what this really is saying is that if you aren't doing anything to combat racism then you are adhering to a racist system and policies. The same could be said of discrimination against the LGBT+ community. As there have been so many policies and laws established to create barriers and discriminate against that community, you may help support those institutions if you don't help combat it.
This law is one example of policy that harms LGBTQ+ throughout different aspects of their lives and upholds discriminatory ideas that are outdated. If governments uphold these discriminatory laws and policies then it sends a message to their citizens that they can do the same. Although, bottom-up and top-down approaches to policy change and public engagement both have their benefits. In cases like this, top-down can be extremely helpful in setting a tone so that citizens with homophobic ideas feel out of place and aren't given a safe place to express those ideas. In that case, in may help them recognize that their thoughts and ideas are not welcomed when they are harmful to a whole people group.