Belgrade's Institute for Blood Transfusion has revised its donor screening questionnaire following complaints from Labris, a Serbian lesbian rights organization, that the form discriminated against gay women by disqualifying anyone who had ever had same-sex relations.
The institute drafted a replacement form omitting the disputed question. In the interim, staff have been instructed to accept lesbian donors, with the updated questionnaire set to take effect in January 2007.
An institute spokesperson, Gordana Antuljeskov, said the original screening was intended to flag risky behavior rather than target any particular group, adding that safe blood supply remains the organization's primary concern.
Despite its reputation for social liberalism, Belgrade has a history of hostility toward openly gay residents. In mid-2001, the city's first gay pride march was broken up by a violent crowd that included football hooligans, skinheads, and clergy, while police largely failed to intervene.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.