HALIFAX--Halifax area students marched in today's Pride Parade and passed out "End the Ban" post-cards and buttons to draw attention to the current Canadian Blood Services (CBS) ban on blood donation from men who have had sex with men, even once since 1977.

"Halifax Pride Week is a time to celebrate the gains made by Nova Scotia's queer and trans communities, but is also an important opportunity to draw attention to the discrimination that many members of these communities still face," said Elise Graham, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Nova Scotia.

Organizations including the Canadian Federation of Students, Egale Canada and Canadian AIDS Society have publicly called on CBS to end the ban, which was introduced in 1985. This year the Canadian Federation of Students voted to launch the "End the Ban" campaign which includes post cards, posters, buttons and the www.endtheban.ca website.

"We're encouraging Halifax residents and those in town for Pride to go onto the End the Ban website and send an email to the federal Minister of Health and Canadian Blood Services asking them to end the ban," said Graham. "The lifetime deferral that bans queer men from donating blood is a discriminatory policy based on out-dated science and needs to be repealed."

Students in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador have also been promoting the "End the Ban" campaign during Pride events in those provinces. Last month on National Blood Donor Day Halifax area used side-walk chalk to draw attention to a discriminatory life-time ban placed on blood donation from men who have had sex with another man by Canadian Blood Services (CBS).