A gay man who has repeatedly been denied the chance to donate blood has taken his case to one of Europe’s top courts.
Laurent Drelon filed a discrimination suit at the European Court of Human Rights on Friday after being prevented from donating blood because he has sex with men.
According to AFP, the 48-year-old Frenchman has tried to give blood multiple times since 2004 but has been prevented each time due to France’s shifting laws on men who have sex with men donating blood.
In 2016, France lifted its previous lifetime ban on sexually active gay and bisexual men donating blood in favour of a 12-month deferral period, similar to other countries in Europe.
France also has a four-month deferral period for plasma donations.
However, many activists maintain that any length of deferral period is discriminatory, as it penalises gay and bisexual men and is unevenly applied.
In France, a man who has sex with men must abstain from sex for 12 months, however, a woman who has sex with a man who also has sex with men is not subject to the same deferral.
Drelon argues that the blood deferral period is both discriminatory on the basis of sexuality, but also violates his right to privacy by having to disclose his sexual history.
Patrice Spinosi, who is representing Drelon, said: “It’s the first time that the ECHR will make a decision on whether French legislation is discriminatory or not.”
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