FDA Loosens Restrictions On Gay Men Donating Blood

It will now be easier for gay men to donate blood. But the rule is still ridiculous.

The FDA loosened up guidelines, but men with active sex lives will not be allowed to give blood during a time when many hospitals are worried about shortages. Any man who has not had sex with another man in the past three months can donate.

The old guideline forced them to wait a year. The restrictions go back to the homophobia surrounding the HIV/AID crisis in the 1980s. Gay rights activists have called for it to end now that blood can be immediately tested for HIV. The rules were loosened because of the “unprecedented challenges to the US blood supply” during the coronavirus outbreak. Other limitations on giving blood have also been eased.

Source: BuzzFeed News