Serbian Lesbians Allowed to Donate Blood

The Serbian Institute for Blood Transfusion has altered its questionnaire for potential blood donors after a lesbian rights organization launched protests against what it said was discrimination against homosexual women, local media reported Sunday.

Labris, a lesbian rights organization, protested the Institute's practice of rejecting donors affirmatively answered the question: "Have you ever had sexual relations with a person of the same gender?"

As a result of the protest, a new questionnaire was drafted, without the contested question.

A Labris activist was told at the institute that she was in a "high-risk group" because of her sexual orientation.

"You feel like a second-class citizen when you are not allowed to do something which everybody else is permitted to do," the unnamed activist told radio B92.

But Gordana Antuljeskov, of the Institute, said the questionnaire was focused not on high-risk groups, but on high-risk behaviour.

"Homophobes do not work at the Institute for Blood Transfusion, of course, all blood donors are equal to us ... Simply, safe transfusions are our top priority." Antuljeskov said.

A new questionnaire will be read for use starting January 2007. Until then, doctors have been notified of the changes and lesbians will be able to donate blood.

Though widely seen as sexually liberal, Belgrade remains hostile at least to openly displayed homosexuality. In mid-2001, the first- ever gay-pride parade in Belgrade was violently quashed by a mob.

Led by football hooligans, the mob - which included skinheads, "regular" citizens and even clerics - indiscriminately attacked gay men and women, while police mostly just watched

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