A local man signed up for organ donation when he went to update the information on his driver’s licence last week and learned his tissues are ineligible because he is gay.

Registries in Alberta ask drivers who are renewing or making changes to their licences if they want to be part of the organ and tissue donation program when they die.

Mike Morrison put his name down for organ donation to give the gift of life to someone else and he also agreed to donate his tissues and body to science.

After he left the registry he did a little digging and discovered that his tissues were ineligible because he is gay.

“I signed up for all of them and I thought it was great and then I did a little research afterwards because I know as a gay person you’re not able to donate blood, so I kind of became curious as to how I’d be able to donate organs and tissues and things like that and it turns out that as a gay person in Alberta, I can’t donate my body’s tissues,” said Morrison.

Alberta Health Services says it uses national guidelines to assess potential donors on a case-by case basis and excludes some people because of their medical or social history.

Morrison says it’s disappointing and that he hopes the decision to exclude his tissues is based on up-to-date research.

“With so many advances in science and even how we’re dealing with HIV in 2015, it would be nice to know that AHS is dealing with the most up-to-date scientific research that shows that there is an increased likelihood as a gay person if you’re donating organs or tissues that there could be an issue,” he said.

He says he wants to bring awareness to the issue and hopes to get health agencies to review their policies regarding tissue donation.

“Hopefully if enough people sort of raise this red flag, because I’ve certainly heard from people over the last couple of days, you know, people who are waiting for organs or waiting for surgery and things like that, saying they would be happy to take any part of my body, which is a weird thing to hear, but it’s good to know that the support's out there,” said Morrison.

Over 4500 people in Canada are waiting for an organ and hundreds more are on the waiting list for a tissue transplant.

For more information on organ, tissue and eye donation in Alberta, click HERE.