If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed?
3 out of 4 Gay and Bisexual Men Would Donate Blood If They Were ‘Allowed’

According to The National Blood Service, last year they received 2.1 million donations from about 1.6 million donors. Although that sounds a lot, it reflects only 4% of the population, giving two or three times a year.

The NHS needs a constant supply of 7,000 units of blood each day for hospitals across the UK, this equates to at least 2.5 million donations every year, leading to a deficit of 400,000 units of blood each year.

Members of the free gay chat website ManCentral.com were asked if they would donate blood if they were not restricted by the policies of the National Blood Service. An overwhelming 77% of respondents said they would donate blood if they were permitted to do so. Of the 23% who said no, various reasons were provided such as a fear of needles, previous blood transfusions or other family medical conditions such as CJD.

According to the National Blood Service any man who has had sex with another man is unable to give blood due to the risk of transmitting viruses such as HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis during the 3 month 'window period' when tests can’t detect these viruses in the blood. However this ‘window period’ is the same for everyone regardless of gender and sexuality.

In 1999 heterosexual sex overtook homosexual sex as the most common route of transmission among new HIV cases overall; whilst in 2007, heterosexual transmission accounted for 55% of those diagnosed in the UK. Nevertheless in terms of transmission of the virus within the UK, men who have sex with men are still the group at highest risk of getting a new infection.

Interestingly, members of Man Central who admit to only sometimes practising safe sex were the least likely to agree to donate blood. This suggests that gay and bisexual men are intelligent enough to judge for themselves if they can safely donate blood.

Conservative estimates suggest that there are over 3 million Gay and Bisexual men within the UK. If the results from the research are taken as a reflection of the gay and bisexual population as a whole, gay and bisexual donors could potentially equate to 2.3 million donors compared to the 1.6 million donors of last year.

Whilst the need to protect public health by minimising the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne viruses is undeniable, the life-long ban for gay and bisexual men is unnecessarily stringent and in turn detrimental to public health through the shortage of blood. As with promiscuous heterosexual donors, a 3 or even 6 month exclusion period could be applied to men who have had sex with men, after which time the threat of undetected viruses would be dramatically reduced if not removed.

Additional Statistics

• Those aged 31-35 are most likely to donate blood with 83% saying they would give blood if they could.

• Members looking for sex online were the most likely to avoid giving blood.

• 80% of Gay men said they would donate blood compared to 71% of Bisexual men.

• 78% of members who always practise safe sex would donate blood.

Research:
ManCentral.com polled 3,667 members over a three day period. Detailed statistics & breakdowns available on request. Members who answered the surveys remained anonymous to ensure an honest and accurate response.

For more information please visit:

http://www.blood.co.uk/can-i-give-blood/exclusion/

http://www.tht.org.uk/informationresources/policy/healthpolicy/blooddonations

http://www.tht.org.uk/informationresources/factsandstatistics/uk/heterosexual/

The Condom, The Click and the Wardrobe

63% of Closet Men Browse The Web For Sex 

New research from ManCentral.com reveals gay men log on to get off.

Roll back the clock 5 years or so to when Hampstead Heath was a hotspot for illicit encounters with Joe Blogs or George Michael. Nowadays, gay men are more likely to cruise the web than browse the bushes in search of sex.

Members of the free gay cruising website ManCentral.com were asked ‘What is your main reason for using online dating?’ A staggering, 45% of respondents admitted to using the internet for sex. Similarly, only 21% claimed to be in search of a relationship, and even less (8%) were looking for dates.

Unsurprisingly, 63% of men who were not ‘out’ used the internet for sex, in contrast, only 35% of openly gay men were looking for sex. Similarly, bisexual men were the most likely (61%) to look for sex online. Arguably, the internet provides closet cases with the anonymity and convenience to satisfy their desire without the risk of being outed…or arrested.

But are men ditching the bars and clubs for the comfort of their sofa? Apparently not, 52% of regular drinkers, and 45% of social drinkers browse dating websites for sex.

Worryingly, 40% of men who admit to never practising safe sex use dating websites to find a sex. Similarly, 55% of those who ‘sometimes’ practice safe sex log on for sex. Nevertheless, 41% of those who always practice safe sex also join online dating websites for such encounters.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the research shows that single gay men just want sex; but you’d also be wrong. In fact, 70% of married men and 62% of those in a relationship look for sex online compared to only 40% of those who are single, the remaining 60% are online for dating, friendship or a relationship.

Additional information:

• Men who are between 5’3 and 5’6 are least likely to search for sex online.

• Men under 5’3 and over 6’ are most likely to be looking for a relationship - the practical implications of this 7 inch difference are baffling, yet humorous.
• Men who describe themselves as ‘large’ in the trouser department are the most likely (61%) to use websites for sex. In contrast, men who describe themselves as ‘small’ are the most likely to seek a long-term partner.
• Coventry and Middlesbrough are the best places to find a relationship. Whilst members on the south coast, particularly Portsmouth and Brighton, are most likely to search for sex.

Matthew Hodson, Head of Programmes at GMFA, the gay men’s health charity, provided us with his comments:

"The internet is now the most popular place for gay men to find sexual partners. It’s also where a lot of men go to find information on health issues, such as HIV and other STIs. Therefore, it’s important we provide accessible and accurate information online to ensure that men have the information they need to protect themselves and their partners. This is particularly the case for those who don’t identify as gay, as they often have greater information needs and are less likely to access information in gay venues or the gay press."

For more information on sexual health and safer sex, visit GMFA’s website at www.gmfa.org.uk/sex

ManCentral.com polled 3,236 members over a 24 hour period. Detailed statistics & breakdowns available on request. Members who answered the surveys remained anonymous to ensure an honest and accurate response.

Students can now get a GCSE in Homophobia?

St Joseph’s Catholic School in Newport has come under fire for teaching pupils that homosexual acts are 'morally wrong' and that sex between two men or two women is purely self gratification.

The details of the school's curriculum were discovered by Cain Otley, who runs the Gay Business Network in South Wales. Students have been provided with learning material with the heading “What is the Catholic Church’s attitude to homosexuality?”

The notes provided by the school explain that sex is seen in the Bible as a way of a man and a woman to become ‘one flesh’ to be 'fruitful and multiply'. In contrast, ‘Homosexual sex can never be open to the potential of new life and so sex simply becomes a selfish way of gratifying a person.’

Otley was enraged to read claims that AIDS is seen by some Protestant groups as the ‘gay plague’ and as God’s punishment on gay people and their immoral lifestyle, which they argue, is against God’s law.

Otley explains, “I was completely shocked and disgusted at what I saw. The information contained in the booklet could incite homophobic bullying and homophobia in general.”

The school have defended the teaching material which was distributed to the students of St Joseph's Catholic School which they suggest was designed to help pupils understand what is required by the Welsh Joint Education Committee exam specifications.

A spokesman for St Joseph's said “The information is purely factual as these are the points that students need to know for the examination.”

“In a Roman Catholic school the church’s teaching on sexuality has to be presented clearly and in lessons this is done in a sensitive way […] In lessons they will have discussed these points and put forward opposing views and these will also be included in their examination answers where they are required to give all sides of the argument.”

In response to the notes which claim that AIDS is the 'gay plague', she argued that pupils are taught that whilst AIDS is sometimes seen as the 'gay plague' the Catholic Church teaches that no illness is God's punishment.