LOUISVILLE,Ky — In a move that’s being celebrated by many, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has eliminated a long standing prohibition on some gay and bisexual men giving blood. The change was announced in a release in May.
Moving forward, the FDA will use several risk-based questions to determine if someone is eligible, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender.
This change comes eight years after the FDA lifted a lifelong ban on gay men donating blood that was established at the start of the AIDS crisis in the early 80s.
For Colton Brickey of Louisville, this is great news.
“I would say that it’s a very long overdue change that’s been needed to happen for a very long time and I think it’s very pivotal in lifting the stigma that surrounds HIV and AIDS, particularly as it pertains to gay men specifically,” Brickey said.
Brickey says he found out about the change through friends on social media. He said everyone he’s talked to about it feels it was the right move.
“There are so many people, so many people willing to donate immediately that just aren’t allowed to because of the restrictions that have been put in place because of events in the past and because we haven’t changed policies that we’ve learned so much about in a very long time,” Brickey said.
Under the new guidelines, most gay and bisexual men can give blood, but there are still disqualifying circumstances for donors.
“All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months, would be deferred to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection who may be in the window period for detection of HIV by nucleic acid testing,” the release states.
The other disqualifier bars people who take medications to treat or prevent HIV infection. “The available data demonstrate that their use may delay detection of HIV by currently licensed screening tests,” the statement explains.
LGBTQ+ organizations, like the national advocacy group GLAAD, are also applauding this change. Sarah Kate Ellis, the group’s president and CEO, said in part this decision, “signals the beginning of the end of a dark and discriminatory past rooted in fear and homophobia.”
The FDA calls the implementation of these recommendations a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQ+ community.
Following the agency’s policy change in May, blood centers may now implement their recommendations. The Red Cross says they are working to finalize guidance for their locations nationwide as soon as possible.