Can gay men give blood us
Did FDA rule change allowing gay, bisexual men to donate blood make a difference?
For years, Jose Dominguez, 50, had wanted to donate blood, feeling it was part of his civic duty.
But he was restricted by rules set in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that did not allow sexually active gay men from donating.
That finally changed in May 2023, when the FDA dropped all restrictions specific to gay and multi-attracted men donating blood, moving to a new blood donation risk assessment tool that is the alike for every donor regardless of how they spot, which rolled out in August 2023.
In March of this year, Dominguez finally donated blood for the first time, and he did so with his husband, Craig Burdett. For Burdett, 62, it was the first time he had donated blood since 1997, when he began openly identifying as gay.
SEE ALSO: Red Cross implements FDA policy allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood
"I was grinning just from ear to ear, just because of the fact that we were able to do this," Dominguez, who is the head of the American Red Cross Long Island chapter, told ABC News. "I've never done it before, and I was getting to do it with
Gay men in US can finally donate blood
Despite being a volunteer with the American Red Cross for a decade, it wasn’t until last year that Ralph Galvan, as a gay man, was able to donate blood.
US Food and Drug Administration laws in place since the 1980s HIV-Aids crisis kept sexually active gay or bisexual person men from donating, and to aid change that policy, Galvan participated in an FDA-funded investigation that led to last year’s requirement changes.
“It’s really good that we’re not on the sidelines anymore,” Galvan told CBS News. “Being part of the advance study and helping shape those things, getting rid of the policy, it’s beneficial to me, to my community.”
Guidelines are no longer based on sexual orientation and all potential donors collect the same typical donor history questionnaire.
All donated blood, even from repeat donors, is tested for hepatitis, HIV, syphilis and other transmissible diseases.
Right now, officials say there’s a critical need. Last month, the Red Cross collected 20 000 fewer donations than needed to maintain its national supply, and Galvan said he was grateful he can form a difference.
CBS News article – How this longtime Red Cross volun The Sustenance and Drug Administration said Thursday that it finalized a new rule that will allow more lgbtq+ and bisexual men to donate blood. Under the latest guidelines, all potential donors would need to complete individualized risk assessments — regardless of gender or sexual orientation. People who have had anal sex with new partners or more than one partner in the last three months would be asked to wait to donate blood. The updated guidelines mean most gay and bisexual men who are in monogamous relationships with other men will no longer need 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 represent 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 guard of the blood supply, he added. The FDA's restrictions on blood donations from men who acquire sex with men stem from the AIDS crisis, w Blood donors give a gift for which there is no substitute. At AABB, we believe that the ability to save lives through donation of safe blood products should be uncover to as many people as possible, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s why AABB has led actions to make blood donation inclusive of non-binary donors and championed the adoption of equitable, science-based individual donor assessment (IDA) processes to determine blood donor eligibility that welcome Queer blood donors, strengthen the blood supply and conserve lives. On May 11, 2023, the Sustenance and Drug Administration issued a final guidance eliminating time-based blood donor deferral periods for gay, attracted to both genders and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM. The agency now recommends a new donor assessing process that uses individual donor assessment - a donor screening process that uses gender-inclusive, individual donor-based questions for all individuals - to establish eligibility. AABB is committed to helping the blood community carry out the recommendations as fast as 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 gay -- was restricted due to rules set in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that did not allow sexually active gay men from donating. However, this past May, the FDA dropped all restrictions specific to homosexual and bisexual men donating blood, moving to a fresh blood donation uncertainty assessment tool that is the equal for every donor regardless of how they identify, which rolled out in August. This meant that Van Bibber was able to build history as he donated blood at the American Red Cross Blood Donation Center in his home city. "To slouch back 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 prefer I was finally able to undertake my part and it's a petty thing to execute that can build such a enormous difference." The new policy is one that public health experts and gay rights activists saidMore gay and bisexual men can donate blood under new FDA rules
Blood Donation by Gay and Bisexual Men
FDA Approves Historic Extension of Donor Eligibility
How new FDA govern allowing gay, double attraction men to grant blood is making donation more inclusive