Well the way things seem to happen these days, as far as sex is concerned -- seems so many have sex with anyone at any time ?   I think so many would be at risk of giving blood Gay OR straight.

Do I think it is fair to stop ANYONE from giving blood if they are at risk YES I DO.

But how do we know they are tellig truth?

Personally, I don’t see it as discrimination and really has little to do with “fairness”. The fact is although HIV tests are improving, they are still not 100% accurate all of the time. It is for this reason health authorities are cautious since men who have sex with men are at an increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and other infections which can be transmitted during transfusions. True to say that sexually transmitted infections can also affect any person who is sexually active regardless of their preferences. HIV and hepatitis B have been found in the heterosexual population as well.

There are other groups excluded from giving blood also namely: intravenous drug abusers, people who have received transplants of animal tissue or organs because of unknown risks. Also people who engage in sex for money.

I have been a blood/plasma donor for approx 45 years, it is my understanding that people that pose a risk are all excluded for a very good reason and that is the recipient of blood products are generally sick already and to expose them to an even greater risk to their health would be extremely dangerous, it is not just gays that are excluded so there is no discrimination, people from the UK who lived there during the eighties are also excluded due to possible infection from mad cow disease which apparently can stay in your system for years, is this discrimination? I think not, just another safety precaution.

You can cop a dose of something whether you are camp or square. Your "lucky dip" may not be so.

I was a blood donor for many years and was also on the bone marrow register but in 1993 it was determined that, as I had received a corneal graft in early 1969, I was at risk of having contracted CJD (human equivalent of mad cow disease) so could no longer be a blood donor and my name was removed from the register too; I cannot be an organ donor either.  

I was extremely disappointed to no longer be able to help with blood or tissue donations and have wondered over the years if I might have been able to help someone in critical need.....  Twenty-two years later my health still seems to be good but it is better to err on the side of caution nonethless; it would have been awful to cause further harm to someone already sick.  The health authorities have to do the very best to ensure quality donations and cannot afford to risk anyone's health by taking a laissez faire attitude to donors and any risk taking behaviours.