Héma-Québec is still unsure about returning to McGill after a controversial though effective protest staged by radical sexual rights group Second Cumming during last January’s blood drive.
The demonstration was in protest of the blood agency’s policy barring men who have sex with men from donating blood. The event caused Héma-Québec to shut down the drive three hours early due to concerns about the validity of donors’ sexual history questionnaires. Posters were put up on campus asking students to come to the blood drive and “act faggy, do drag, lie about sexual history …and cause a commotion.”
Students’ Society Vice-President Communications and Events Gill Prendergast sat down with Héma-Québec in August to try to convince them to return to campus. According to her, the issue lies somewhere between whether Hema-Quebec is willing to come back and whether students are willing to have them back.
“Héma-Québec is okay with the idea of students protesting,” she said. “Their real concern is the idea or suggestion of people lying about their sexual history when signing up to give blood. They had no choice [last year] but to shut down the blood drive.”
Prendergast explained that the blood collection agency isn’t prepared to come back this semester because of how recently the incident took place. They fear that the dynamics at the school haven’t changed and that the same problems would arise.
According to SSMU President Aaron Donny-Clark, the blood agency has been reluctant to engage in any sort of dialogue on the issue.
“It was a big step just to have them talk to us,” he said. “They felt they were being targeted when they shouldn’t have been.”However, not all student groups are eager to have the blood drives return to Shatner. Queer McGill, in particular, has been active in efforts to influence Héma-Québec to adjust its policy on MSM blood donation. Late last year, the group passed a policy calling on SSMU to ban Héma-Québec from the building. Queer McGill maintains its support for the idea of blood drives, so long as members of the queer community are able to participate.
Queer McGill Equity and Policy Coordinator Kiran Sunar explained her group’s stance.
“SSMU has an obligation to ensure that discrimination is not happening on campus.”
Traditionally, the debate has centered around whether blood donation is a right or a privilege.
“Human rights are tricky,” said Sunar. “From Queer McGill’s perspective, we have a right not to be discriminated against.” One alternative may be to hold the blood drive in a different location. Prendergast pointed out that other schools have blood drives held on other parts of campus, away from student spaces.
Queer McGill was receptive to this idea, but is still trying to change the blood agency’s policy.
“As far as I know we are fine with blood drives held elsewhere on campus,” said Sunar. “If we’re being discriminated against in our own building, that’s not good.”
Sunar also pushed to distance Queer McGill from the radical group Second Cumming. “We don’t condemn or support Second Cumming. I wouldn’t say there’s a huge [membership] overlap with the group.”
Héma-Québec Information Officer Michel Thisdel indicated that a committee would meet soon to decide on whether to come back to McGill this year. However, he was hesitant to comment on last year’s protest.
In advance of any decision, Prendergast is organizing a town hall to be held during first semester in which Héma-Québec will make a presentation.
“We want to invite Queer McGill and all interested student groups into this discussion and from there, engineer ways to foster a dialogue,” she said.
Despite the lack of consensus, SSMU executives are aware of the need for blood drives on campus.
“We give Héma-Québec a lot of blood,” said Donny-Clark. “It’s important that they get that blood.”
