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Volume 49 Issue 2, June 2024, pp. 261-290
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Research Articles

Discursive History of Screening Criteria for Blood Donation Affecting Gay, Bi, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Canada: 1983–2013

Andrew Ivan BrownRelated information
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States

Suggested Citation: Brown, A. I. Discursive history of screening criteria for blood donation affecting gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men in Canada: 1983–2013. Canadian Journal of Communication, 49(2), 261–290.

Data Accessibility: All data will not be made publicly available. Researchers who require access to the study data can contact the corresponding author for further information.

Funding: This research received funding support from Canadian Blood Services (MSM Plasma Program), funded by the federal government (Health Canada) and the provincial and territorial ministries of health. The views herein do not reflect the views of Canadian Blood Services or the federal, provincial, or territorial governments of Canada.

Disclosures: The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Acknowledgments: This article would not have been possible without the contributions of Dr. Jennie Haw and Don Lapierre from Canadian Blood Services. Don conceived of the project and acquired funding for its undertaking. Both Jennie and Don provided me with important insights and guidance for how to collect and analyze the data, at every stage of the research. They provided close readings, feedback, and edits through more than a dozen iterations of the manuscript. Finally, they were both instrumental in helping me get this published. I offer them my wholehearted thanks.

Andrew Ivan Brown is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Washington. Email: .

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjc-2022-0088
Abstract

Background: In September 2022, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) implemented a sexual behaviour–based screening (SBBS) approach for all donors, putting an end to Canada’s “gay blood ban.”

Analysis: To better understand the discursive history leading up to this change, this article analyzes articles in major newspapers and 2SLGBTQIA+ periodicals in Canada from 1983 to 2013 related to the ban.

Conclusions and implications: The move to SBBS came about due not only to advancements in epidemiological knowledge and testing technologies, but also to significant shifts in how the issues were framed in public discourse.

Contexte : En septembre 2022, la Société canadienne du sang (SCS) a mis en place pour tous les donneurs une sélection basée sur les pratiques sexuelles (SBPS), mettant ainsi fin à l’interdiction du sang « gai ».

Analyse : Pour mieux comprendre l’histoire discursive menant à ce changement, cet article analyse des articles sur cette interdiction parus au Canada entre 1983 et 2013 dans des journaux majeurs et dans des périodiques 2SLGBTQIA+.

Conclusions et implications : La sélection basée sur les pratiques sexuelles est advenue non seulement grâce à des progrès dans le savoir épidémiologique et dans les technologies d’analyse mais aussi grâce à des changements significatifs dans la manière dont le discours public encadre le sujet.

Keywords: men who have sex with men, blood donation policy, critical discourse analysis, policy analysis, media framesMots clés :  les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes, politique sur les dons de sang, analyse critique du discours, analyse de politiques, cadres médiatiques