It is now official. The old questionnaires “have been thrown away” to set up “the new ones from this Wednesday morning”, we announce at the house of donation in Nice which is part of the centers of the French Blood Establishment (EFS). Gone are the questions asking for the sexual orientation of the donor and the date of last intercourse. From this Wednesday, homosexual men can donate blood under the same conditions as the rest of the population.
“Symbolically”, Rodolphe, 42, had made an appointment during his lunch break. “It was important for me to come today, on the first day of being able to donate my blood under the same criteria as the others. They give me back a right to be useful, he smiles. Twenty years ago, I had wanted to take the step in the enthusiasm of my colleagues and without knowing the exact conditions. The moment I answered the question, I was ejected, everyone was stunned and I was left traumatized. »
“A discriminatory measure”
Lying down filling pockets, Rodolphe discovers for the first time how the house of donation works. “Even with the possibility of donating blood with a year and then four months of abstinence in 2016 and 2019, I had remained closed to this question because of past events. It was a very hard situation to live with and very discriminating because I grew up with all the campaigns chanting “we need you, we need your blood”. But actually, no, not me, because of my sexual orientation. Whereas finally, you can be heterosexual and more at risk. »
He adds: “Usually, I am not a protesting person because I consider that being homosexual does not characterize my life. But this is a special moment for me. I saw a social advance and it was time. Especially since we are very well received, the whole team is adorable. I risk coming back and being a promoter with those around me. »
“One of the very first homosexual donors in France”
The ESF Paca Corse “did not expect a particular influx for this first day” but the first person to come to give blood this Wednesday morning was indeed a homosexual man. Erwann had made an appointment at the center first thing in the morning, he “certainly became one of the very first” donors in France.
“I was super moved for two different reasons,” he explains. First, because I was born in 1983, that is to say, the year when it was forbidden for homosexual men to give blood. And that at the same time, my father, a generous donor since always, reached the age limit this year. It’s like I’m taking over. »
He too experienced a shock when, when he was younger, he was confronted by a doctor who “brutally snubbed” him and assured him that he would be “on file to prevent him from coming back lying”. He left crying, he says.
“When we fight, we can turn things around”
The original Breton took this action as a citizen “because it corresponds to [son] personal story” but also as president of the Center LGBTQIA + Côte d’Azur, “to convey an associative message”. “It also proves that when you fight, you can turn things around. I use the quote “new rights are never inherited, they are taken”. There is a new criterion regarding treatment pre or post exposure to HIV [il faut attendre quatre mois après la dernière prise pour pouvoir donner son sang], but it is a period of observation as the successive stages since 2016 have been. The priority remains that blood donation is safe. »
The nurse present at the house of the gift nods. “There are still drugs that can falsify HIV screening in blood bags… Otherwise, we are happy to welcome new donors.”
Indeed, at the beginning of February, the EFS had made a “big call for donations” because “we reached the critical reserve thresholds”. Since the beginning of the year, in the Alpes-Maritimes, the needs are at 3,350 for 2,525 donations made. “The difference is made up by bringing in labile blood products from other regions. At the national level, self-sufficiency is guaranteed”, assures Caroline Lebas, director of communication EFS Paca Corse.
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