A SWINDON man has launched a campaign to change the rules around blood donations from homosexual men.

Currently any man who has had oral or anal sex with another man must wait three months before giving blood.

However Ian Poynter, 50, from Penhill says this singles out homosexual men.

“It’s unfair that gay men are being discriminated against over this,” he said.

“My blood isn’t any different to anybody else’s. Why should a gay man have to wait three months?

“People need to realise that HIV and Aids is not just caught through sexual contact. Someone could have a cut on their hand and you could shake hands with them, it can be caught through dirty needles.

"In all sorts of ways,” Ian said.

“Gay men shouldn’t be singled out. All the blood gets screened anyway,” he added.

Ian visits the blood bank when it comes to Swindon in the hope of donating blood but has never been accepted.

“It does upset me, when I get turned away,” he said.

“I just think it’s totally unfair. Seeing all the people there who are able to give blood. But I’ve got to walk away when I could be in there saving someone’s life.

“People have looked at me as if to say my blood is dirty, which is hard. But I’ve got to learn to be thick skinned,” he added.

The three months waiting period also applies to anyone who has had sex with a man who has had oral or anal sex with another man.

Ian continued: “If it came up that something had happened to a friend or a family member and they needed blood I’d be there straight away to give my blood.

“I’m more than happy for someone to have my blood and I want to be able to help those I love.

“I’ve had an operation where I had to receive blood myself, and I want to be able to reciprocate,” he added.

Ian volunteers at Great Western hospital three or four times a week, which has inspired him to try to change the rules.

“I see patients receiving blood and it’s a fantastic thing,” he said.

“It’s just so frustrating when you hear about the shortage of blood and I’m not allowed to give any. Lots of people need blood and it does frustrate me that there isn’t enough.

“But if the law changed we would have enough blood for everyone.”

NHS Blood and Transplant which looks after blood in England says the time frame exists to reduce the risk of very recently acquired infections not being detected on tests.

The website says there is a period of time “between getting an infection and it showing up reliably on tests.”

It goes on to say: “At a population level, men who have sex with men are at an increased risk of acquiring certain infections through sex.”

Ian said: “I can understand the fears in the 80s and 90, when we had the HIV and Aids awareness stuff. But things have moved on."

Ian said people have suggested to him to simply put on the blood donation form that he is heterosexual.

“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “Why should I? I want to be able to go to the blood bank in Swindon, tick on the form that I’m a gay man, sit down and wait to give blood.”

Before 2011 men who have sex with men were not able to give blood at all. In 2011 a 12 month wait was introduced and in November 2017 this was cut down to three months.

As part of his campaign Ian is meeting with local councillors and has sent a letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock as well as Swindon’s MPs.

He has also contacted T.V. programmes including Loose Women and This Morning as well as soap operas such as East Enders and Coronation Street, in the hope of increasing awareness of the issue.

Ian’s campaign letter:

My name is Ian. I am a 50-year-old gay man who has always wanted to donate blood but I am turned away for being gay, which is so wrong.

As the blood is screened before use I feel the law should be changed. I am writing to you requesting your assistant and support in changing the law as blood donors are in short supply.

I am sure donations would be increased if the outdated restrictions were lifted.

I thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Yours sincerely

I Poynter