"It’s in Me to Give": Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination
Date
2020
Authors
Grace, Daniel
Gaspar, Mark
Klassen, Benjamin
Lessard, David
Brennan, David J.
Lachowsky, Nathan J.
Adam, Barry D.
Cox, Joseph
Lambert, Gilles
Anand, Praney
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Qualitative Health Research
Abstract
Blood donation policies governing men who have sex with men have shifted significantly over time in Canada—from
an initial lifetime ban in the wake of the AIDS crisis to successive phases of time-based deferment requiring periods of
sexual abstinence (5 years to 1 year to 3 months). We interviewed 39 HIV-negative gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual
minority men (GBM) in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal to understand their willingness to donate blood if eligible.
Transcripts were coded following inductive thematic analysis. We found interrelated and competing expressions of
biological and sexual citizenship. Most participants said they were “safe”/“low risk” and “willing” donors and would gain
satisfaction and civic pride from donation. Conversely, a smaller group neither prioritized the collectivizing biological
citizenship goals associated with expanding blood donation access nor saw this as part of sexual citizenship priorities.
Considerable repair work is required by Canada’s blood operators to build trust with diverse GBM communities.
Description
We would like to thank our study participants for sharing their
experiences and perspectives with us. We are grateful for the
support of our Engage office staff, the community engagement
committee members, our community partner agencies, including
the Community-Based Research Centre, and the entire
Engage research team.
Keywords
men who have sex with men, blood donation policy, willingness to donate, biological citizenship, sexual citizenship, thematic analysis, qualitative, Canada
Citation
Grace, D., Gaspar, M., Klassen, B., Lessard, D., Brennan, D. J., Lachowsky, N. J., Adam, B. D., Cox, J., Lambert, G., Anand, P., Jollimore, J., Moore, D., & Hart, T. A. (2020). “It’s in Me to Give": Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination.” Qualitative Health Research, 30(14), 2234-2247. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320952314