Why gay men should be able to give 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 male lover -- was restricted due to rules set in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that did not allow sexually active queer men from donating.
However, this past May, the FDA dropped all restrictions specific to gay and fluid men donating blood, moving to a new blood donation risk assessment tool that is the alike for every donor regardless of how they name, 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 advocate 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 create such a big difference."
The new policy is one that public health experts and gay rights activists said
Landmark change to blood donation eligibility rules on today’s World Blood Donor Day
New eligibility rules that will allow more men who have sex with men to donate blood, platelets and plasma come into effect this week, marking an historic move to make blood donation more inclusive while keeping blood just as safe.
From today (Monday) – World Blood Donor Day – the questions asked of everyone when they come to donate blood in England, Scotland and Wales will change. Eligibility will be based on individual circumstances surrounding health, travel and sexual behaviours evidenced to be at a higher risk of sexual infection.
Donors will no longer be asked if they are a man who has had sex with another man, removing the element of assessment that is based on the previous population-based risks.
Instead, any individual who attends to offer blood - regardless of gender - will be asked if they hold had sex and, if so, about recent sexual behaviours. Anyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months will be eligible to donate.
The changes to the re-named Donation Safety Check form* will affect blood, plasma and platelet donors. The process of giving blood will not ch
Collaborative report into evidence on gay and bisexual men and blood donation still due in 2020
The Unbiased steering group exploring whether some gay and bisexual person men might be fit to donate blood without a deferral is still hoping to report its’ findings before the finish of 2020.
The work has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic but it is progressing and the group plans to submit a report before the end of the year.
FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) was position up at the origin of 2019 at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care.
The steering group includes representatives from the four UK blood services, LGBT+ groups, medical and scientific experts, and patient and donor representatives (1).
It is exploring whether there is sufficient evidence to convert the current blood donor selection policy. Currently, a man who has had sex with a bloke is deferred from donating blood for three months.
Blood donation guidelines are put by the Department of Health and Social Take care of based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).
The current three month deferral uses ‘population based risk’ and the FAIR w
Men who have sex with men (MSM)
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Can queer men give blood?
Gay and bisexual men are not automatically prevented from giving blood.
Men who contain sex with men and who have had the same boyfriend for 3 months or more and convene our other eligibility criteria are qualified to give blood.
Anyone who has had anal sex with a new companion or multiple partners in the last three months, regardless of their gender or their partner’s gender, must stay 3 months before donating.
We assess your eligibility to donate blood based solely on your have 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 present blood. If you stop taking PrEP or PEP, you will need to wait 3 months before you can give blood.
We recognize 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 like to donate, please ring us on 0300 123 23 23. One of our team can review the new guidelines with you and, if eligible, manual your next appointment.
Why is there a 3-month wait after sex?
The 3-mon
Blood Donation by Homosexual and Bisexual Men
Blood donors offer a gift for which there is no substitute. At AABB, we consider that the ability to save lives through donation of safe blood products should be expose to as many people as doable, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s why AABB has led efforts to make blood donation inclusive of agender donors and championed the adoption of equitable, science-based individual donor assessment (IDA) processes to judge blood donor eligibility that welcome Homosexual blood donors, empower the blood supply and save lives.
FDA Approves Historic Spread of Donor Eligibility
On May 11, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration issued a final guidance eliminating time-based blood donor deferral periods for gay, fluid and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM. The agency now recommends a new donor filtering process that uses individual donor review - 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 implement the recommendations as fast as