The upcoming General Election is on the minds of many, none more so than Britain’s students. Often jilted and overlooked, we are the generation that have suffered false Lib Dem promises of cheaper tuition fees, as well as the crippling times of austerity thanks to the current Coalition.
But while politicians are cranking up the propaganda machines and launching their best charm offensives to secure votes, some students are out campaigning earnestly about matters a little closer to home and racking up plenty of support in the process.
Thomas Kohler, founder of Gay Blood UK.
Thomas Kohler, a 22 year old History student at the University of Lincoln, has been making waves in the media recently, appearing on countless local radio stations and in newspapers, after launching campaign pressure group, Gay Blood UK. This movement aims to challenge the rules that gay and bisexual men cannot give blood unless they have been sexually abstinent for 12 months previous. Thomas tells Synced how the group came about and why we should all be showing our support.
“The story behind Gay Blood UK is a long one…Essentially, I was sat in my flatmate’s bedroom last year, and I was playing with my keys, on which is a key ring I was given with my blood type on it from when I used to give blood. My flatmate asked me about it and was shocked when I explained that I wasn’t eligible to give blood anymore because I had not been abstinent from sexual contact in the past 12 months.”
Thomas was surprised to discover that this practice was not common knowledge and shared the outrage of his friend that laws surrounding blood donation had not been revisited. Although official guidelines claim that this restriction is in place to reduce the risk of spreading HIV, Thomas and his supporters would argue otherwise.
“Gay and Bi men are no longer the leading demographic for HIV,” he explains. “Even if they were, there is just as much promiscuity in the straight community, so whatever the stance on donation is, it should be universal.”
With these facts in mind, Thomas decided to set up an online petition in order to have the issue opened for debate in parliament, something that requires a staggering 100,000 signatures.
“I needed a lot more support,” he admits. “So I decided to join the LGBT society at the University of Lincoln. This worked wonderfully, and we managed to achieve 2,000 signatures in the first two days of the petition going live.”
Thomas with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln.
As a result of this success, Thomas was subsequently elected Campaigns Officer for the society in the coming academic year and LGBT Officer for the following year, something he’s “thrilled” about.
He hopes to use this further support to drive the campaign forward, claiming, “The next step is the direct lobbying of human rights lawyers.”
As well as campaigning for gay rights, politics play a large part in Thomas’ life. As a staunch Conservative supporter with a Christian upbringing though, some find his views a little confusing.
“Many people are shocked to find out that I am a gay, Conservative Christian, as they believe it to be tantamount to oxymoronic… I have often experienced outrage from people who cannot understand why I support a political party who they believe is against the LGBT community. However, this Conservative government is a great deal more moderate in terms of domestic and social policy than many of its predecessors, and did indeed sanction gay marriage.”
It’s safe to say that Thomas will be firmly supporting the blues in the upcoming Election, as well as keeping up the fight for Gay Blood UK, but what else does the ambitious History undergrad have up his sleeve?
“I am in the process of setting up a new campaign, ‘NightLight’, which is an endeavour to bring an umbrella form of anti-discrimination policy to as many institutions as possible in Lincoln,” he explains.
Another impressive sounding initiative, Thomas says that NightLight aims to encourage local Lincoln establishments to add government guidelines into their own policies in order to make them more LGBT friendly. He also aims for the campaign to provide a legal footing for those who have felt discriminated. “If someone has an incident at an establishment that is supposed to be on the NightLight page then we have legal standing to follow it up for them,” he clarifies.
The year ahead looks busy for Thomas, one filled with challenges and obstacles, but also (hopefully) successes. What drives him is his wish to inspire other young gay men and members of the LGBT community to stand up and speak out. His message is simple: support and respect are all that’s needed.
“I have, on a personal and societal level, experienced a great amount of prejudice about the LGBT community… My only advice is to not spend too much time arguing against these damaging labels, but to rally behind LGBT causes, and to prove that we are a genuine, organised and serious political and social force, and deserving of the same rights and respect as everyone.”
Here at Synced we wish Thomas the best of luck in his endeavours and hope that you too will support him.
Visit ‘Gay Blood UK’ on Facebook or follow on Twitter @GayBloodUK to find out more and support the cause.
