In Britain, which previously had a three-month deferral period, a behavior-based policy will now be used, meaning anyone — gay or straight — who has had anal sex with multiple partners or a new partner will not be able to donate blood.
The change means men in long-term gay monogamous relationships are now eligible to donate blood without any waiting period.
“It’s groundbreaking. It’s a fundamental shift away from stereotyping sexuality to assessing individual risks,” said Ethan Spibey, the founder of campaign group Freedom to Donate, which worked with the government on the new policy.
Restrictions on gay men donating blood, imposed by many countries at the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, have faced renewed scrutiny this year amid concerns about maintaining supplies of blood during the coronavirus crisis.
Lockdowns have made it harder for potential donors to access donation centers.
The United States reduced its waiting period for gay and bisexual men from a year to three months in April. Australia said it would follow suit the same month, although the change will not apply until Jan. 31.
LGBT campaigners criticized both countries, however, saying the policies continued to discriminate against gay and bisexual men.
Some activists leveled similar criticism against the new British policy because of its focus on anal sex, which is most commonly associated with gay and bisexual sex.
“We still are not at a point where the sex gay men have and the sex straight people have is equal,” said Ash Kotak, a playwright who is campaigning for a London AIDS memorial. “The policy decision is guided by homophobia and fear.”
But Michael Brady, medical director at the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust and the national LGBT health adviser for England’s state health service, said the “anal sex deferral makes sense” based on the available medical evidence.
“Anal sex as an act, irrespective of whether you’re gay or straight, is associated with a greater risk of transmission of blood-borne viruses like HIV,” said Brady, who was on an advisory committee that recommended the new policy.
Since 2001, Italy has had a risk-based policy that does not consider the type of sex, which has not led to the blood supply being increasingly compromised by HIV infections, researchers at Italy’s National Institute of Health said in a 2013 study.
— Thomson Reuters Foundation
