Against the law for gay men to give blood
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 include sex with men and who have had the alike 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 modern 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 analyze your eligibility to deliver 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 donate blood because of the guidelines and would favor to donate, please dial 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
Lifeblood announces changes to sexual activity rules for blood and plasma donation
More Australians will be able to donate blood and plasma following essential changes to sexual outing eligibility rules confirmed by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood today.
Current donor rules in Australia prevent many homosexual and bisexual men and transgender women who own sex with men from giving blood or plasma if they have had sex in the past three months.
Lifeblood has been working to make blood and plasma donation more inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible, whilst maintaining the safety of the blood supply.
In the first of the rule changes, from Monday, 14 July 2025 Lifeblood will remove most sexual activity wait times for plasma donations.
Under this world-leading ‘plasma pathway’, most people, including gay and bisexual men, and anyone who takes PrEP[i], will be able to donate plasma without a remain period, providing they join all other eligibility criteria. Extensive research and modelling show that there will be no impact to the safety of the plasma supply with this change.
Lifeblood’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jo Pink said with plasma now the donation type most neede
More gay and multi-attracted men can donate blood under fresh FDA rules
The Meal and Drug Administration said Thursday that it finalized a new rule that will allow more gay and double attraction men to donate blood.
Under the latest guidelines, all potential donors would need to end individualized risk assessments — regardless of gender or sexual orientation. People who have had anal sex with brand-new partners or more than one significant other in the last three months would be asked to wait to donate blood.
The updated guidelines mean most male lover and bisexual men who are in monogamous relationships with other men will no longer call to abstain from sex to donate blood.
Previously, the FDA allowed donations only from men who have sex with men if they hadn't had sex with other men for three months.
“The implementation of these recommendations will stand for a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a release.
The agency will proceed to monitor the safety of the blood supply, he added.
The FDA's restrictions on blood donations from men who have sex with men stem from the AIDS crisis, w
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 pansexual 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 assist 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 act my part and it's a small thing to do that can produce such a big difference."
The new policy is one that public health experts and gay rights activists said
Which countries are pushing to end discrimination in blood donation?
For decades, men who have sex with men have been barred from donating blood or subject to discriminatory rules. Now, as both our Rainbow Route and Annual Review 2023 show, an increasing number of countries in Europe are dismantling these discriminatory practices. As European Public Health Week comes to an end, let’s take a closer look at the countries paving the way.
Since the promptly 80s, certain groups with higher rates of HIV were prohibited from donating blood, including same-sex attracted and bi men, and trans people in some cases. These measures, intended to prevent contagion, contributed to the stigma in these communities. Today, with advancements in testing and a excel understanding of blood-transmitted viruses, blood banks are now capable of ensuring safer donations. It is also time to acknowledge that peril behaviours, not sexual orientation or gender identity, should judge who is eligible to donate blood.
European Public Health Week (EUPHW) seeks to raise awareness about public health and foster collaboration within the European universal health community. Since 2019, this annual initiative keeps on growing