FDA lifting ban on gay men donating blood
The Food and Drug Administration has reportedly issued a draft guidance today (Friday, Jan. 27) lifting the ban on blood donations by gay men that dates back to the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
New guidelines are said to focus on sexual behaviors rather than sexual orientation or gender identities in determining an individual’s risk of transmitting HIV through a blood donation.
Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+ Hepatitis Policy Institute, issued a statement applauding the change, saying, “This marks a monumental shift and ends a long and painful era of blanket discrimination against gay men.
No longer will eligibility to donate blood be based on sexual orientation. Instead, every person, no matter their sexuality, will be reviewed individually in order to determine their eligibility to donate. “While this long-overdue change is being made based on the science and the facts, which has been clear for years, it is the result of the leadership of the Biden administration that continues to tear down discriminatory government policies,” he added.
