Directory:Rob McDowall

Rob McDowall Robert McDowall
Rob McDowall
Born	Template:Birth date Greenock, Scotland
Occupation	Charity Chairperson and Equality Campaigner
Contact	{{{contact}}}

Rob McDowall (born 15 May 1985) is the Chairperson of the LGBT Network, a Board Member of Partners in Advocacy, the Director of SIACC (UK) and a regular contributor to LGBT blog OutfrontUK. In association with Nick Henderson, McDowall launched Equal Rights Now, a grassroots campaigning organisation which was set up in order to tackle inequalities in the UK. Equal Rights Now was dissolved in 2008 when the LGBT Network was formed.

Petition to the Scottish Parliament on MSM blood ban

McDowall launched a petition to the Scottish Parliament in 2008 calling for the ban to be lifted on gay and bisexual men donating blood. On submitting the petition, McDowall said: "Being gay doesn't prevent me from paying tax, using public transport or working in a responsible position, full time, so why should it prevent me from giving the gift of life? The culture of binge drinking, multiple sexual partners and the acceptance of "the male player" stereotype is all playing part in the massive increase of HIV and AIDS amongst the heterosexual community."

The Petition was signed by 1290 people internationally and also received support from Ross Finnie MSP, Alyn Smith MEP, Struan Stevenson MEP and Dean Sharp DMYP.

The petition was first considered by the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee at Holyrood on 15 April 2008, and the committee decided to write to the Scottish Government, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion Services and National Institute of Biological Standards and Control Professional Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee for Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, Bloodban, Terrence Higgins Trust and the Equality Network.

Meeting in November 2008 and June 2009, the Scottish Parliament contacted the Blood Transfusion service to raise a number of technical points and agreed to suspend further consideration of the petition until work being carried out by the Health Protection Agency in England is completed. The Scottish Blood Transfusion Service has continually refused to accept that gay and bisexual men should be allowed to give blood.

Jan Moir and Stephen Gately

Following the Daily Mail article by Jan Moir concerning the death of Stephen Gately, McDowall wrote to the Press Complaints Commission and urged them to drop their restrictions on third party complaints.

Responses to statements of Iris Robinson

In response to statements by Iris Robinson MLA MP perceived to be homophobic by the gay community, McDowall was one of the first wave of people to lodge an official complaint with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Robinson was later cleared of wrong-doing by Northern Irish Police. In reply to the news from the PSNI, McDowall said: "The LGBT Network are deeply disappointed at this blatant example of homophobic behaviours being brushed under the carpet. The language used was clearly homophobic and Iris Robinson does not feel that she has spoken out of turn and has not apologised."

McDowall also said: "Iris Robinson is a wicked and vindictive person who hides behind her cloak of religious privilege and of course, her husband the First Minister of Northern Ireland."

Save Jojo Campaign

McDowall gave evidence to the UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in the case of Jojo Yakob, a 19 year old gay Syrian asylum seeker who claimed to have been tortured in Syria due to his sexuality.