Ruling says potential discrimination doesn’t outweigh safety concerns
Canadian Blood Services has won its lawsuit against a gay man who lied on the blood-donation agency’s questionaire, which asks male donors whether they’ve had sex with a man since 1977. The agency, which doesn’t accept donations from gay men, saw its right to do so upheld by the court in a ruling against Kyle Freeman. While CBS’s refusal to accept donations from gay men has “significant ramifications on [the men’s] quality of life,” the court found it was not enough to outweigh the concerns of recipients of blood products, who would be “asked to accept lower safety standards even though an adequate supply of blood could be provided if higher safety standards were imposed.” The court also ordered to pay $10,000 in damages.