Kenrad Nelson, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who advised the FDA about the policy. "The gay community and many people view blood donation as a civil right. Gay or bisexual men in monogamous relationships may be at much lower risk as donors than, say, promiscuous heterosexuals, Louie said.īut others are praising the new policy as a reasonable compromise. "It perpetuates the stigma that HIV is a gay disease," says Kelsey Louie, who heads Gay Men's Health Crisis, an advocacy group. Research in Australia indicates the policy would not jeopardize the safety of the blood supply.īut this has not satisfied many advocates. in line with other countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Britain, Marks says. For all donors, the hemoglobin level can be no greater than 20 g/dL. Blood tests remain negative for about nine days after a person has been infected with HIV.Īfter weighing the arguments, Marks announced the FDA is finalizing a policy change it proposed last year. In their eligibility requirements list (linked above) The American Red Cross states that: In order to donate blood, a woman must have a hemoglobin level of at least 12.5 g/dL, and a man must have a hemoglobin level of at least 13.0 g/dL. Others, however, have urged the FDA to keep the ban, saying that infected people can slip through the screening process. They argue the policy is discriminatory because it singles out gay and bisexual men and that it is unnecessary because blood donors can be screened for HIV. In 1983, the FDA banned gay and bisexual men from ever being eligible to donate blood to protect people receiving blood transfusions from the possibility of getting infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.īut gay-rights advocates and many medical groups have been urging the FDA to lift the ban for years. "Relying on sound scientific evidence, we've taken great care to ensure the revised policy continues to protect our blood supply," said Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The FDA announced Monday that it was replacing a lifetime prohibition with a new policy that will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, but only if they have not had sexual contact with another man for at least one year. American Red Cross Values Our top priority is the safety of our volunteer blood donors and the patients in need of lifesaving blood products. The Food and Drug Administration is relaxing a 32-year-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Learn about federal regulations related to blood donation by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) individuals. Gay and bisexual men were banned from donating blood over concern that HIV could contaminate the blood supply.