Give blood? Only if you’re straight, thanks

This week the LGBT  society were in the Union petitioning to have the ban currently stopping gay men donating blood lifted.

Currently Northern Ireland is the only area of the UK where gay men are not allowed to donate blood.

We took to the streets to find our what students at Queen’s thought of the current legislation.

Second year Software Engineering student Margaret Carlin feels the law is impractical. “There is just not enough people donating blood, and they need all the donations they can get.

“It shouldn’t be a problem who it comes from”

Christopher McVeigh, who also studies Software Engineering, “I don’t have a problem with it, don’t see why anyone would.

“If someone is in need they won’t care who’s blood is saving them”.

Others were disgusted at the ban. James McAllister, who plans on studying Nursing next year at Queen’s was strongly in favour of the law being changed.

“It’s absolutely criminal that gay men can’t donate blood.

“It’s just another case of Northern Ireland being backwards facing, and yet another way of perpetuating discrimination. It’s inherently wrong.”

Second year Cynthia Mone says:  “They’re human beings too, they should be allowed to give blood the same as anyone else.

“It all gets screened anyway, what’s the problem?”

Archaeology third-year Joss Wellings couldn’t believe that the law still existed.

He says: “There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to give blood. It’s just terrible age-old prejudice.”

LGBT President Conor McFall told The Tab:

“This law is illogical for a number of reasons. Not only is it offensively discriminatory, but we import blood from the rest of the UK anyway.”

“It was surprising when we ran the campaign how many people didn’t know about this so it was great to make people aware of this.

“Everyone who found out was very supportive of us.”