#GotBlood2Give/DuSangÀDonner: Peer Reviewed Articles, Abstracts and Presentations
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
Dryden, O.H. (2019). It’s in us to give: Black life and the racial profiling of blood donation. In R. Diverlus & S. M. Ware (Eds.), Black Lives Matter Canada: A Blueprint for Black Liberation (pp. 211-224). University of Regina Press.
Dryden, O. H. (2022). Blood is a Politic of Place-making: Blackness, queerness and the construction of the donor. In R. Cummins and N. Caple (Eds.), Harriet’s Legacies: Race Historical memory and Futures In Canada (pp.304-321). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Peer Reviewed Abstracts
Dryden, O.H. (2019, November 6-7). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Oral Presentation]. Canadian Blood Services Knowledge Synthesis Forum, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H., Sinno, J., Cadri, A., Lee, E., Marshall, Z., Mbuagbaw, L., & Nelson, L. (2022, September 11-14). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Poster Presentation]. Blood Annual Meeting 2022, Sydney, Australia.
Dryden, O.H., Sinno, J., Cadri, A., Lee, E., Marshall, Z., Mbuagbaw, L., & Nelson, L. (2022, October 13-15). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Oral Presentation]. Canadian Sex Research Forum 2022, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 2-3). Black queer lives: The rupture of anti-Black health research in Canada [Conference session]. Queer Canada, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, August 9-10). Black queer life and the sexual politics of gay blood activism [Conference session]. Social Work and Sexualities Conference, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, November 8-11). Roundtable: The emergence of Black Feminist Health Science Studies – Medical humanities research in blood donation [Conference session]. Annual American Studies Association (ASA): States of Emergence, Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Dryden, O.H. (2019, March 23-24). Black queer radical thought in the unjust society: White gay activism, Anti-Black homophobia, and donor inclusion [Paper presentation]. Against the Mythologies of the 1969 Criminal Code Reform, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Dr. Dryden’s Invited Speaker/Keynote/Symposium
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 6). Sudbury researcher says blood donation questions 'racist,' unfairly target gay men. CBC News.
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 16). Black queer life and the theorizations of blood (donation) [Keynote address]. Graduate Symposium, Gender Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 29). #Got Blood to Give: African and gay blood bans [Guest lecture]. X University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, March 9) Canadian donor criteria for African, Caribbean and Black men who have sex with men [Guest Lecture]. Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, March 21). #GotBlood2Give: Black men who have sex with men and the social life of blood donation [Invited speaker]. McGill University, Montréal, QC. Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2020, February 26). Health equity – Do Black lives matter [Keynote address]. School of Social Work, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2020, October 15). Atlantic Canada BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ health Leaders [Panel presentation]. #GotBlood2Give /DuSangÀDonner (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2020, October 26). Blood policy futures for queer, trans, and Black communities [Panel presentation]. University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2020, November 12). Got Blood 2 Give, and racism in medicine [Plenary address]. Internal Medicine Senior Resident Research Session, Dalhousie University, (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, January 14). Anti-Black racism, blood donation policy, and Black queer and Trans interventions [Panel presentation]. HHMI Virtual Black Queer Town Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA , United States (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, June 26-26). Black queer blood: Insights, reflections and possibilities [Keynote address and convenor]. #GotBlood2Give /DuSangÀDonner (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, August 20). Breaking barriers: The fight against 2SLGBTQ+ health disparities in Nova Scotia [Keynote address]. Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2022, February 24). Black 2SLGBTQI+ movement building for the future [Keynote address]. Enchanté and Fierté Canada Pride, Edmonton, AB, Canada (virtual).
Work in Progress
Dryden, O.H. (n.d). GotBlood2Give: Canadian donor criteria for African, Caribbean and Black men who have sex with men [Manuscript in preparation]. Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Recommendations:
Based on the results of this project, we demand that the Canadian Blood Services (and its Board of Directors), Health Canada, and the World Health Organization (WHO) take immediate action to:
Dryden, O.H. (2019). It’s in us to give: Black life and the racial profiling of blood donation. In R. Diverlus & S. M. Ware (Eds.), Black Lives Matter Canada: A Blueprint for Black Liberation (pp. 211-224). University of Regina Press.
Dryden, O. H. (2022). Blood is a Politic of Place-making: Blackness, queerness and the construction of the donor. In R. Cummins and N. Caple (Eds.), Harriet’s Legacies: Race Historical memory and Futures In Canada (pp.304-321). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Peer Reviewed Abstracts
Dryden, O.H. (2019, November 6-7). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Oral Presentation]. Canadian Blood Services Knowledge Synthesis Forum, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H., Sinno, J., Cadri, A., Lee, E., Marshall, Z., Mbuagbaw, L., & Nelson, L. (2022, September 11-14). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Poster Presentation]. Blood Annual Meeting 2022, Sydney, Australia.
Dryden, O.H., Sinno, J., Cadri, A., Lee, E., Marshall, Z., Mbuagbaw, L., & Nelson, L. (2022, October 13-15). #GotBlood2Give: Exploring the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black men who have sex men (cis and trans) with blood donation in Canada [Oral Presentation]. Canadian Sex Research Forum 2022, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 2-3). Black queer lives: The rupture of anti-Black health research in Canada [Conference session]. Queer Canada, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, August 9-10). Black queer life and the sexual politics of gay blood activism [Conference session]. Social Work and Sexualities Conference, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, November 8-11). Roundtable: The emergence of Black Feminist Health Science Studies – Medical humanities research in blood donation [Conference session]. Annual American Studies Association (ASA): States of Emergence, Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Dryden, O.H. (2019, March 23-24). Black queer radical thought in the unjust society: White gay activism, Anti-Black homophobia, and donor inclusion [Paper presentation]. Against the Mythologies of the 1969 Criminal Code Reform, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Dr. Dryden’s Invited Speaker/Keynote/Symposium
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 6). Sudbury researcher says blood donation questions 'racist,' unfairly target gay men. CBC News.
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 16). Black queer life and the theorizations of blood (donation) [Keynote address]. Graduate Symposium, Gender Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2017, November 29). #Got Blood to Give: African and gay blood bans [Guest lecture]. X University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, March 9) Canadian donor criteria for African, Caribbean and Black men who have sex with men [Guest Lecture]. Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2018, March 21). #GotBlood2Give: Black men who have sex with men and the social life of blood donation [Invited speaker]. McGill University, Montréal, QC. Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2020, February 26). Health equity – Do Black lives matter [Keynote address]. School of Social Work, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.
Dryden, O.H. (2020, October 15). Atlantic Canada BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ health Leaders [Panel presentation]. #GotBlood2Give /DuSangÀDonner (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2020, October 26). Blood policy futures for queer, trans, and Black communities [Panel presentation]. University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2020, November 12). Got Blood 2 Give, and racism in medicine [Plenary address]. Internal Medicine Senior Resident Research Session, Dalhousie University, (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, January 14). Anti-Black racism, blood donation policy, and Black queer and Trans interventions [Panel presentation]. HHMI Virtual Black Queer Town Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA , United States (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, June 26-26). Black queer blood: Insights, reflections and possibilities [Keynote address and convenor]. #GotBlood2Give /DuSangÀDonner (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2021, August 20). Breaking barriers: The fight against 2SLGBTQ+ health disparities in Nova Scotia [Keynote address]. Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada (virtual).
Dryden, O.H. (2022, February 24). Black 2SLGBTQI+ movement building for the future [Keynote address]. Enchanté and Fierté Canada Pride, Edmonton, AB, Canada (virtual).
Work in Progress
Dryden, O.H. (n.d). GotBlood2Give: Canadian donor criteria for African, Caribbean and Black men who have sex with men [Manuscript in preparation]. Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Recommendations:
Based on the results of this project, we demand that the Canadian Blood Services (and its Board of Directors), Health Canada, and the World Health Organization (WHO) take immediate action to:
- Directly address systemic anti-Black racism at CBS. This includes anti-Black homophobia/transphobia. Internal measurement of CBS’ processes and outcomes must be monitored.
- Move to gender-neutral, behaviour-based donor screening (e.g., removing female and male in most of the donor questionnaire).
- Publicly acknowledge and demonstrate accountability for historic and ongoing anti-Black homophobia/transphobia in/at CBS.
- Hire a consultant trained and with expertise in addressing anti-Black racism (and the intersections of homophobia and transphobia) to appropriately investigate and address ongoing harm perpetrated against Dr. OmiSoore Dryden.
- Recruit, hire and appoint new leadership capable of delivering on the 2021 “Call to action on anti-racism, equity, and inclusion in Federal Public Services”.
- Create commitments in the CBS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan that respond specifically and in detail to Black (African, Caribbean and Black – ACB) people (including MSM) in and across Canada and the colonial realities of anti-Black racism in blood donor protocols.
- Funding for Canadian Blood Services must also be tied to concreate action and effective impact of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, with specific focus on anti-Black racism and Black populations.
- Senior management and the CEO of Canadian Blood Services must also have their performance metrics tied to and reflect concrete action regarding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, with specific focus on anti-Black racism, systemic anti-Black racism, interpersonal anti-Black racism, and relationships with Black populations.
- Evaluate human resources practices and labour practices to ensure the diversity of staff and key stakeholders. Prioritizing the voices of those directly impacted and at the front lines of blood donation research and activism, specifically ACB MSM.
- Replace the performative and systemically racist “independent review” process at CBS with a process that centres and specifically focuses on anti-Black racism (homophobia/transphobia). We support the creation of a federal inquiry into these long-standing issues within blood donation in Canada. A full and unqualified apology to Dr. OmiSoore Dryden.
- Invest in and develop reciprocal relationships with Black organizations providing support to Black (ACB) people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Provinces and territorial governments who participate in the funding of Canadian Blood Services must tie that funding directly to concrete action and impact.
- Leverage Critical Race Theory and Black cultural knowledge/methods of knowing in the west, the Caribbean region, and the global South to address anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia in blood donation.
- Given the inextricable link between the oppression and liberation experienced by Black (ACB) people in the west and those living in Africa, and the Caribbean region, the World Health Organization and Health Canada must advocate for a global research agenda that identifies and addresses the ongoing colonial legacies of anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia in blood donation. A robust tracking mechanism is required to measure the global successes and challenges in addressing the anti-Black homophobic/transphobic based blood bans.
- Strengthen community capacity to self-advocate by creating local and global accountability channels that prioritize community feedback and measure the implementation, outcomes, and impacts of actions.
- Any future changes to the donor questionnaire or significant donor policies must include documented and meaningful examination by and consultation with Black (ACB) communities who have been most impacted by anti-Black racism/homophobia/transphobia at CBS.