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Download Gay rights campaigners welcomed the move to allow lesbians to donate blood as experts questioned whether keeping the ban on homosexual men was effective in ensuring the safety of supplies. On July 1 a blood donation ban of more than 10 years on homosexuals was lifted for lesbians because of their low risk of HIV, according to the revised version of blood donor health requirements. Under requirements issued in 2001, all homosexuals were prohibited from giving blood. However, under the revisions, gay men are still barred, along with drug addicts and people with multiple sexual partners. In China, all potential blood donors have to fill in health declaration forms and undergo health checks before donation. On the form, people are supposed to reveal their sexual orientation. "It's understandable to keep the ban on gay men, which is in line with international practices, but its real effect is highly questionable," said Zhang Beichuan, one of China's leading scholars on gay and lesbian issues. "It's hard to verify if a donor is gay or not, as people can lie on forms." Xiao Dong, who heads an organization committed to controlling HIV/AIDS among the gay community in Beijing, said the virus did not discriminate. "Given that straight people might also be involved in unsafe sex and thus at risk of HIV/AIDS, the ban should apply to them as well, rather than exclusively for a certain group like gays. | 
