Why gay people cannot donate blood
How new FDA rule allowing gay, bisexual men to give blood is making donation more inclusive
For at least a decade, Chris Van Bibber had been prevented from donating blood.
The 35-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah -- who is openly same-sex attracted -- was restricted due to rules set in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that did not allow sexually active homosexual men from donating.
However, this past May, the FDA dropped all restrictions specific to gay and double attraction men donating blood, moving to a new blood donation risk assessment tool that is the equal for every donor regardless of how they distinguish , which rolled out in August.
This meant that Van Bibber was able to make history as he donated blood at the American Red Cross Blood Donation Center in his home city.
"To sit endorse in that chair and to go through the questionnaire beforehand, and it was just -- I felt so much excitement and so much relief that we were finally here," Van Bibber told ABC News. "I just felt like I was finally able to undertake my part and it's a small thing to do that can form such a big difference."
The new policy is one that public health experts and gay rights activists said
Blood Donations
In January 2023, the Biden administration and the U.S. Nourishment and Drug Administration (FDA) took a significant step toward dismantling antiquated and discriminatory policy preventing gay and pansexual men from donating blood.
The new policy moves away from discriminatory policy based on identity and toward a science-based, individualized risk review approach.
Click here to learn more about the progress made in Blood Donation policies and pursue HRC’s efforts to drive change.
Top Ten Questions on Updated FDA Blood Donation Guidance
The updated guidance abandons the discriminatory deferral policy based on one’s culture within a organization (i.e., gay, and bisexual men, and same gender loving men).
The updated guidance now requires all persons to be evaluated based on an individual donor assessment. All prospective donors will be asked the equal questions, and if deemed eligible, can donate blood.
Prospective donors will not be asked if they are monogamous, or in a monogamous relationship.
Under the modern guidance, all prospective donors will be asked the equal set of questions about new or multiple sexual partners.
Those who do not
Men who have sex with men (MSM)
On this page:
Can gay men give blood?
Gay and bisexual men are not automatically prevented from giving blood.
Men who hold sex with men and who have had the equal partner for 3 months or more and meet our other eligibility criteria are able to give blood.
Anyone who has had anal sex with a recent partner or multiple partners in the last three months, regardless of their gender or their partner’s gender, must wait 3 months before donating.
We evaluate your eligibility to grant blood based solely on your own individual experiences, making the process fairer for everyone.
If you are taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) you will be unable to give blood. If you stop taking PrEP or PEP, you will need to wait 3 months before you can give blood.
We appreciate that any deferral is disappointing if you want to save lives by giving blood.
If you have previously been unable to grant blood because of the guidelines and would prefer to donate, please contact us on 0300 123 23 23. One of our team can review the new guidelines with you and, if eligible, book your next appointment.
Why is there a 3-month wait after sex?
The 3-mon
Blood Donation by Gay and Bisexual Men
Blood donors give a gift for which there is no substitute. At AABB, we believe that the ability to save lives through donation of safe blood products should be reveal to as many people as possible, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s why AABB has led endeavors to make blood donation inclusive of non-binary donors and championed the adoption of equitable, science-based individual donor assessment (IDA) processes to determine blood donor eligibility that welcome Gay blood donors, strengthen the blood supply and conserve lives.
FDA Approves Historic Enlargement of Donor Eligibility
On May 11, 2023, the Sustenance and Drug Administration issued a final guidance eliminating time-based blood donor deferral periods for gay, bi-curious and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM. The agency now recommends a new donor assessing process that uses individual donor assessment - a donor screening process that uses gender-inclusive, individual donor-based questions for all individuals - to establish eligibility.
AABB is committed to helping the blood community execute the recommendations as adv as
Donation if you are LGBT+
You can donate all forms of donation regardless of gender, NHS Blood and Transplant considers all donors to be the sex and/or gender that they identify as, including nonbinary, genderfluid and agender donors. We’ll use the pronouns of every donors choice as well as our people sharing theirs.
Blood, plasma and platelet donation if you are transgender
As part of our continuous drive to be inclusive and create sure our donors and patients obtain the best protect possible, we own made some changes to how we record your sex assigned at birth and gender.
From July 2024, we will ask all donors their sex assigned at birth, as well as their gender when signing up to donate. This will be asked only once, at registration, and then recorded confidentially – this will allow us to know what blood products are safe to manufacture from your donation (as this can differ based on the risk of a previous pregnancy) as well as allowing us to treat donors more respectfully on session.
We also want to make sure your donation is secure for patients and that you are not at peril of harming yourself by donating too often.
The JPAC guidelines give more information about donation