More gay men can now give blood as a historic change makes donor policies more inclusive.
“This change in guidance really has been decades in the making, and this is a big moment,” said Susan Forbes, senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently updated its policy that banned most gay men from donating blood. The policy was established early in the AIDS epidemic when the U.S. surgeon general estimated 70% of people with HIV were homosexual or bisexual men.
Dr. Bob Wallace was one of the first HIV providers in Pinellas County. He said for many decades, the FDA’s old guidance stigmatized gay men.
“I started seeing AIDS patients in 1983, so I dealt with a lot of stigma over the years. There are still some people that don’t quite understand,” said Dr. Bob Wallace, Medical Director of Love the Golden Rule Inc.
The updated FDA blood donation guidelines eliminate questions based on sexual orientation. Instead, risk is assessed based on behavior.
Starting Monday, the Red Cross will use the more inclusive risk assessment to determine if someone can give blood. OneBloodwill start using the more inclusive risk assessment on August 21. The Orlando-based blood bank had to turn away members of the LGBTQ community, following the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting.
“There were many gay and bisexual men who were unable to donate because of the previous policy, and it was very hard to see them be turned away and not be able to donate when they wanted to help,” Forbes said.
The updated guidance said anyone, no matter what your sexual orientation, who has had a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, and anal sex in the past three months would be deferred. The FDA said it reduces the likelihood of donations by people with new or recent HIV infection.
“The new guidance further ensures (the) safety of the blood supply and enables more people the opportunity to donate blood. We want as many people who are able to donate to be able to do so,” said Forbes.
People taking medicine like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) will also be deferred under the current policy.
“Pre-exposure prophylaxis, as we know, is over 99.5% effective in preventing HIV infection, so I think telling patients they can't donate blood because they’ve had PrEP is a question in terms of scientific merit,” Wallace said.
He said while the new policy is a step in the right direction, more can be done to make blood donation inclusive.
