Us can you give blood if youre gay

The change puts the emphasis on sexual activity rather than on sexual orientation. IE 11 is not supported. Learn about federal regulations related to blood donation by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) individuals.

Bloodworks executive Aaron Posey, whose own life was saved by a transfusion when he fell down a set of stairs and broken glass sliced an artery, welcomed the new guidance. Smith learned of the restrictions on gay men giving blood when he was screened while trying to donate his freshman year of college in The rules blindsided him, he said.

Profile My News Sign Out. Sign In Create your free profile. All potential donors are screened with a new questionnaire evaluating their HIV risk based on sexual behavior, partners and other factors that can contribute to the spread of blood-borne infections, such as intravenous drug use or recent tattoos or piercings.

Those taking pills to prevent HIV through sexual contact are still barred until three months after their last dose; the medications, known as PrEP, can delay the detection of the virus, the FDA said. With the updated guidelines, most gay and bisexual men who are in a monogamous relationship with a man will no longer have to refrain from sex in order to donate blood.

It was a long time to wait before he could finally donate with his partner and other friends.

Blood Donation by Gay

Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months are barred from giving until a later date, and anyone who has ever tested positive for HIV will continue to be ineligible. If you or your friends, family, or loved ones are currently deferred at We Are Blood for the donor eligibility criteria related to sexual history, please complete the Deferral Eligibility Change Request Form.

Can gay and bisexual men (MSM) donate blood? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Donated blood is then tested for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and other infectious diseases. Bloodworks Northwest, where Smith works as a donor services supervisor, adopted the change on Dec.

He and his partner gave blood for the first time the next day. 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. But workers have heard plenty of stories from people excited to give.

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 without abstaining from sex. Yes. In Maythe FDA issued revised donor deferral recommendations to include gender-inclusive, sexual behavior-based screening questions for all blood donors.

The new U. Food and Drug Administration guidelines are the latest step in a yearslong effort to reverse restrictions that were designed to protect the blood supply from HIV, but which were increasingly criticized as discriminatory following scientific advances that allowed better detection of the virus.

Search Search. He said hospitals and patients need access to a new pool of donors. Inthe FDA dropped the lifetime ban on donations from men who have sex with men and replaced it with a one-year abstinence requirement. NBC News Logo.

LGBTQ Donor Questions Gulf

Once the reentry request has been processed, they’ll be notified by We Are Blood when they can come in to attempt to donate. The agency shortened the abstinence period to three months in after donations plummeted during the COVID pandemic.

Skip to Content. About half of the 16 independent blood bank organizations that are members of the Alliance for Community Transfusion Services have rolled out the new guidelines, with more expected next year, the organization said.