Blood donor l to be relaxed for gay and bisexual men England | LGBTQ+ rights | The Guardian

Contents:

• BLOOD DONATN: RULE CHANGE MEANS MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN N GIVE BLOOD
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE NOW ALLOWED TO DONATE BLOOD IN ENGLAND, STLAND AND WAL
• THE GAY MEN WHO N DONATE BLOOD THE UK FOR THE FIRST TIME
• THE UK WILL LET SOME SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN GIVE BLOOD, ENDG A NTROVERSIAL BAN
• CAN GAY MEN GIVE BLOOD THE UK? BRISH LAW ON LGBT PEOPLE GIVG BLOOD
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• BLOOD DONOR L TO BE RELAXED FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ENGLAND
• GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS

BLOOD DONATN: RULE CHANGE MEANS MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN N GIVE BLOOD

Image source, Getty ImagBlood donatn l for gay and bisexual men are beg relaxed across the UK, what the ernment is llg a "landmark change". "'More work to do'Campaigners have weled the relaxatn of of the sexually active men claimed the three-month le for all men who have sex wh men was "rooted ep homophobia" Spibey, founr of FreedomToDonate, said his group has been mpaigng for the rtrictns to be updated for more than six years and they "warmly wele" this announcement. Gay and bisexual men England, Stland, and Wal n now donate blood, plasma and platelets unr certa circumstanc whout havg to wa three months, the Natnal Health Service announced this week.

Gay and bisexual men England, Stland, and Wal n now donate blood, plasma and platelets unr certa circumstanc, the Natnal Health Service announced this week a momento shift policy for most of the U. Begng Monday, gay men sexually active, monogamo relatnships for at least three months n donate for the first time. S, the abily for gay and bisexual men to donate blood is still rtricted.

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

A ban on gay and bisexual blood donors has been effect sce the early 1980s when fears about HIV/AIDS were wispread. Can gay men give blood? Gay and bisexual men are not tomatilly prevented om givg blood.

THE GAY MEN WHO N DONATE BLOOD THE UK FOR THE FIRST TIME

Gay uple Osr and Xavier say they feel "proud" about donatg blood for the very first time the now, any male donor who'd had sex wh another man the prev three months uldn't give blood. The UK will allow some sexually active gay and bisexual men to donate blood, overturng a ban that origated durg the HIV/AIDS epimic of the 1980s and has been cried as homophobic for years.

Rul preventg gay and bisexual men om blood donatn were implemented many untri the wake of the AIDS crisis, wh health agenci argug that they were more likely than other people to acquire fectns through sex. But LGBTQ mpaigners and other groups have opposed the bans, warng that they perpetuate stereotyp about gay and bisexual men and ntendg that wh morn screeng methods, the risk of missg an fectn is small.

The move was received posively by LGBTQ chari, but many prsed for further chang to allow more gay and bisexual men to make potentially lifavg donatns. “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, ” Nancy Kelley, chief executive of the LGBTQ rights group Stonewall, said a statement.

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

“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, ” she add.

In 2011 was scrapped favor of a one-year ferral perd which a gay or bisexual donor mt rea om sex, and 2017 that perd was rced to three months.

“Such a ntrast to the attu I met mpaigng at the Department of Health many years back when someone said ‘gays n’t be tsted to tell the tth about their sex liv, ’” Michael Fabrint, a lawmaker wh the erng Conservative party, tweeted. NEW l have e to place so that more gay and bisexual men n donate blood. Can gay men give blood the UK?

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

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. For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV.

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

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.

BLOOD DONOR L TO BE RELAXED FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ENGLAND

”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.

“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.

GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS

The first step is to sign GLAAD’s petn at You then n—and should—te those around you, “sce many people, cludg gay and bi men, don’t know that this ban exists, ” adds Lasky. Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty. 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.

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.