Can you donate blood if you are gay

If every drop of blood in the blood supply is tested for pathogens, why are there still exclusions? Being transgender does not limit donor eligibility. Detecting HIV in people who have recently been infected is, however, a challenge for devices, he said.

They do not need to disclose that they are transgender. Learn about federal regulations related to blood donation by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) individuals.

FDA relaxes blood donation

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. As of Monday, new policies are in effect regarding who can donate blood. Donors are not asked about their sexual orientation. Staff do not need to be informed that individuals are intersex.

Can gay and bisexual men (MSM) donate blood? Being gay or bisexual or otherwise being a man who has sex with men does not limit donor eligibility. And because of that, we need to have an additional layer of safety on top of that by asking people whether they have done anything in that recent past that could put them at risk for having become infected.

The new FDA policy further ensures safety of the blood supply, treats all potential donors equally and enables more people the opportunity to donate blood. For now, deferment for those on PrEP is necessary to ensure that the blood supply remains safe as science develops better tests.

Blood Donation by Gay

The FDA requires donation centers to allow donors to choose whether they are male or female. The FDA’s previous donor eligibility criteria based on sexual orientation, which made it challenging for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, has been eliminated.

It was reduced to a one-year deferral period inand after the COVID pandemic caused blood shortages in Aprilit was reduced to three months of celibacy. Queer men in monogamous relationships can now give blood. Yes. In Maythe FDA issued revised donor deferral recommendations to include gender-inclusive, sexual behavior-based screening questions for all blood donors.

Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months won't be able to donate. Effective August 7,potential blood donors will be screened using an updated questionnaire. No longer will gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men be discriminated against for their sexual orientation after being banned, in some form, from participating in life-saving blood donation for nearly 40 years.

But over time, the FDA ultimately relaxed the lifetime ban. Being intersex is not an eligibility criterion for donors. Additionally, no attention is paid to whether somebody is transgenderintersex or gender-nonconforming. Instead, they'll have to wait to donate blood.

All potential donors will be screened using a new questionnaire about that person's risks for HIV. That will include questions on their sexual behavior, recent sexual partners, and subjects. As testing improves and more data and experience are gathered, the FDA may be able to reduce restrictions in the future.

Those new guidelines that previously excluded gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men no longer exclude people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. During donation, donors can indicate the gender with which they identify.

A donor can indicate the gender they identify with at the time of donation. No more gender-specific deferrals or screening questions about sex between men and women will be conducted. At first, gay and bisexual men were completely prohibited from donating blood.

However, the agency still kept some limits in place. Thanks to new federal guidelines finalized in May, gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can now donate at many blood centers around the country.