[VIA AFP] The Red Cross of Thailand said Friday that it would change its screening process for blood donors to address concerns from activists who said the system discriminated against gays. No shit!

The Red Cross requires donors to fill out a form to assess their risk of disease.

Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations.

Here in the United States, gay men and women across the nation who would like to donate blood are still being discriminated against today. Speaking from personal experience, the form asks very plainly "If you are a male, have you had sexual relations with another male?". For those like myself who are honest and not ashamed, I answered "Yes". It was all over from there. They stopped me from donating, gave me a T-Shirt, and sent me on my way feeling like I got the wind knocked out of me. The nurses were very comforting, however, in that they were very supportive in agreeing that we need a new donating system.

"We didn’t mean to hurt anyone," said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. "It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients."

The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said.

Nathee Teerarojanapong, a gay activist who complained about the questioning, urged the Red Cross to focus on screening out anyone with risky sex and drug habits, instead of singling out gay men and women.

"Sometimes gays want to do good things too," he said.

A very powerful message that this contributer hopes reaches the US soon.