The US Red Cross has announced that from Monday it will adopt new rules, recently relaxed by health authorities, to end blood-donation restrictions that specifically targeted gay men.
Until now, gay men had to abstain from sex for three months if they wanted to donate blood, including those in an exclusive relationship.
From now on, all donors will have to answer the same eligibility questions, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, and will be assessed for blood donation according to individual risk factors, the Red Cross said.
This means “more potential donors” who can fulfil this “vital mission,” the organisation added.
The American Red Cross provides around 40% of donated blood in the US.
The new guidelines had been finalised in May by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are based on an individual risk assessment for each donor.
From now on, anyone who has practised anal sex with a new partner, or with several partners, in the previous three months will have to wait before donating blood.
People who have tested positive for HIV or are taking medication to prevent HIV infection continue to be barred from donating blood.
The FDA had imposed a total ban on gay men donating blood when the AIDS epidemic was wreaking havoc in the 1980s.
The rules had gradually been relaxed, but restrictions specifically targeting homosexuals were maintained.
From 2015, the abstinence period required for gay men wanting to donate blood was 12 months. It was then reduced to 3 months from 2020, in the midst of a shortage of donations linked to the Covid-19 health crisis.
