Gay activists in Australia won the first round in a struggle against being banned from donating blood if they have had male-to-male sex in the previous 12 months. A challenge to the Australian Red Cross's policy on the issue was referred to a tribunal by Tasmania's anti-discrimination commissioner after a man complained last year that the ruling was discriminatory.
Assembly worker Michael Cain, 23, argued that blood services should consider whether people had safe sex, rather than their sexual preferences.
The AIDS virus HIV can be passed on through blood transfusions and while gay men have been seen as major transmitters of the disease in the west, heterosexuals are responsible for most transmissions in worst-hit areas such as Africa.
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesman Rodney Croome said the challenge could have international implications for gay donors, as bans on gay men giving blood were also being questioned in Britain and the United States.
"The Tasmanian tribunal hearings will be watched carefully by governments and health experts the world over," he said.
"It's about the global gay community and trying to get this fixed for everyone so everyone has the same rights," said Cain, the man who launched the challenge. "It's not about me anymore."
