It's an all-too-familiar experience for many queer men and transgender women in Canada.īut new changes to the screening process mean Hamilton, an openly gay man, will be able to donate blood again - although he'll have to wait a little longer than most other Canadians because of where he lives. Quebec's blood donation network works a little differently from the rest of the country's. While other provinces fall beneath the Canadian Blood Service (CBS), Quebec operates under its own agency, Hema-Quebec.īoth the CBS and Hema-Quebec plan to make the donation process more inclusive by eliminating the three-month deferral period for men who have sex with men, as well as transgender women.
However, Quebec is taking a more gradual approach: while the CBS aims to overhaul the screening process for both blood and plasma donations by this Fall, Hema-Quebec is focusing on plasma alone. The provincial organization told CTV News it plans to include blood donations later on, by the spring of 2023. Simon Gamache is the executive director of Montreal Pride.
