In a world-first move, gay and bisexual men in Australia will soon be able to donate blood and plasma, effectively broadening the country’s donor pool and removing a key source of stigma faced by LGBTQ people.
As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, from July 14, Lifeblood will revoke its rule that sexually active gay and bisexual men, transgender women and sex workers cannot donate plasma if they have had sex with men within three months.
Following research and risk assessments by Lifeblood, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved its removal, with findings confirming that Australia’s blood supply would remain just as safe due to an added safety measure known as pathogen deactivation in plasma processing.
The move will greatly expand the pool of eligible donors, with approximately 626,500 people soon-to-be eligible to donate plasma, according to Kirby Institute research.
The world-first move will break the stigma attached to the queer community and expand blood and plasma donations. (Credit: Getty)
“We now anticipate an extra 24,000 donors and 95,000 extra donations of plasma to be made each year,” Lifeblood’s chief medical officer Dr Jo Pink told the SMH.
She noted the timing of the change was significant, given plasma is currently in high demand by patients in Australia.
The rule, which also restricts donations from sex workers and women who have sex with bisexual men, was introduced to prevent donations from groups deemed to have a higher risk of HIV exposure.
The TGA has also given the green light to Lifeblood’s plan to remove gender-specific questions from its blood and platelet donor screening forms.
From 2026, all blood donors will be asked the same questions about their sexual activity, regardless of their gender and sexuality.
All donors will now be asked about anal sex with new or multiple partners, not just men. If they answer yes, they’ll be deferred from blood donation for three months, but can still donate plasma right away.
The updated rules also permit people taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to donate plasma, but they will still be unable to donate blood. However, people who have had sexual contact with a partner known to be infected with a blood-borne virus will still not be eligible.
“We know the current donation rules have been very difficult for many people in the LGBTQIA+ community,” Pink added.
“Our submission to change rules for blood donation included data that shows, for now, a six-month wait is the safest option for Australian patients, but we are committed to reviewing this as more evidence becomes available,” she said.
The list of people who will soon be allowed to donate blood includes:
- Male donors: male-to-male sex
- Female donors: sex with a man who has ever had sex with a man
- Transgender donors: sexual contact with a male
- Sex workers
- Sexual contact with a sex worker (male or female)
- Overseas sexual contact with a resident of a HIV high-prevalence country
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