Gay and Bisexual Men Are Now Allowed To Donate Blood In Most Of The U.K. : NPR

Contents:

• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• CAN GAY MEN GIVE BLOOD THE UK? BRISH LAW ON LGBT PEOPLE GIVG BLOOD
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL
• FDA DROPS BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS SPECIFIC TO GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• THE UK WILL LET SOME SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN GIVE BLOOD, ENDG A NTROVERSIAL BAN

LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS

Can gay men give blood?

CAN GAY MEN GIVE BLOOD THE UK? BRISH LAW ON LGBT PEOPLE GIVG BLOOD

Gay and bisexual men are not tomatilly prevented om givg blood. The FAIR chang mean that many more gay, bi men and other men who have sex wh men be able to donate blood more easily. The UK is leadg the way ensurg that blood donatn is more clive and now will allow many more gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men to donate blood.

This change will help ensure more gay and bi men n donate blood, and reprents an important first step towards a donatn selectn policy entirely based on an dividualised asssment of risk. While we wele today’s news, we know much more still needs to be done to tackle the challeng that lead to gay and bi men, along wh other groups of people cludg black Ain muni, sex workers, and trans muni, beg at higher risk of acquirg HIV and other STIs.

We now need to see actn on the enmic health equali that lead to the disproportnate impact of HIV on some groups cludg gay and bisexual men and people om black Ain muni.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL

But there is one easily implementable solutn to the natnal blood-supply shortage that’s been available for years and uld be a lifele: allowg gay and bisexual men to donate eely. S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or “men who have sex wh men”) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex wh another man the past three months.

“It is my opn that we ntue to have a real problem wh laws and regulatns based on fear rather than science, ” she ntuatn of a MSM-specific barrier to givg is not only limg the blood supply, ’s unnecsary and “rooted homophobia, ” explas Perry N.

”In 2015, theFDA loosened s rtrictn, permtg gay and bisexual men to donate blood as long as they hadn’t had sex wh another man the past year.

FDA DROPS BLOOD DONATN RTRICTNS SPECIFIC TO GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV. Same go for gay men who are married or a long-term monogamo relatnship. Conducted tanm wh the natn’s largt blood centers—the Amerin Red Cross, Valant, and OneBlood—the rearch effort will survey 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across the untry between the ag of 18 and 30 who have had sex wh at least one man the past three months.

”The policy change uld have a signifint posive effect on the mental health of gay and bisexual men, too.

It also puts gay and bisexual men at higher risk for acquirg HIV over time.

THE UK WILL LET SOME SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN GIVE BLOOD, ENDG A NTROVERSIAL BAN

“Social and stctural factors that e gay men to feel othered e them to engage risky sexual behavr, ” Halkis says. So a ban like this isn’t jt harmful to the Amerin public; “’s credibly harmful to the gay muny, both emotnally and physilly.