Listen: Local reaction to the lifting of a lifetime ban on gay blood donations

Sep 01, 2016, 07:05 AM

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The lifetime ban on gay men donating blood is being lifted from today. It will be replaced by a one-year deferral - bringing us into line with the rest of the UK. That means that a man who's been sexually active with another man within the last 12 months will still not be allowed to give blood. Some local gay men have welcomed the lifting of the ban but say the reform doesn't go far enough. Anna Maguire reports from Strabane where she met Ryan in the Central Bar - a gay bar in the town.