Should Gay Men Be Allowed To Donate Blood?

Louize

Louize

Gold Member
I know there are plenty of countries where this is allowed (some with restrictions, some without) but as all blood is screened before being used... Why are we, in 2023, when we need blood donations more than ever, not utilising those who will donate?

For example, here in the UK. Monogamous gay and bi males can donate blood, people who have had anal sex with a new or multiple partners need to wait 3 months. This isn't always the case in other countries. The US is still implementing it, Belgium has a 4 month deferral (the female partner of a MsM doesn't need to defer, and trans people are prohibited from donating completely!), Iceland has a 1 year deferral, as does Switzerland.

Adding to this, MsM's can donate stem cells, plenty of countries already have no deferral rules to donating blood, and we're always short of blood so turning away healthy adults seems like a bad idea when crying out for more donors.

MsM donors are seen as "high risk" but surely, in 2023 where PrEP and PEP exist, and a lot of people on those same medications, should we reconsider the rules? Not to mention that all "promiscuity" is high-risk, surely. Wouldn't that mean anyone who is having sex with multiple partners should not be allowed to donate without first fulfilling a 3 month deferral?

Sorry - Part of a debate with a well known LGBTQ+ group I work with, and I found it really interesting - Hoping to get some other views on it!
 
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I can see where the proposal came from when risk of contracting HIV is higher for gay men than other sexualities and the prevalence of HIV is 70/30 male but, as you say, screening is/should be done before the blood is used and screening is the safety net for all blood donations.

Added to that, the biggest incident of infected blood in the UK happened when restrictions were in place, so it makes the argument kinda moot. I’m going to quote The Haemophilia Society for anyone that doesn’t know about the scandal:

In the 1970s and 1980s 4,689 people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses through the use of contaminated clotting factors. Some of those unintentionally infected their partners, often because they were unaware of their own infection. Since then more than 3,000 people have died and of the 1,243 people infected with HIV less than 250 are still alive. We now know that 380 children with bleeding disorders were infected with HIV.

TL;DR: We need blood. Putting restrictions on those that will donate when there’s a safety net to protect against the concerns seems stupid to me 🩸
 
I don’t understand why refusing/restricting anyone who donates blood due to who they sleep with. The blood is screened multiple times before a transfusion etc is even thought of so I don’t know why this is a deterrent. They really destroy their own mission to so to speak. They cry out for donors but (un?)intentionally imply tests aren’t done because everyone knows when blood is donated it isn’t just straight injected into someone.

TL;DR - we all bleed red and everyone is screened. Yes.
 
Inkandtatts said:
I can see where the proposal came from when risk of contracting HIV is higher for gay men than other sexualities and the prevalence of HIV is 70/30 male but, as you say, screening is/should be done before the blood is used and screening is the safety net for all blood donations.

Added to that, the biggest incident of infected blood in the UK happened when restrictions were in place, so it makes the argument kinda moot. I’m going to quote The Haemophilia Society for anyone that doesn’t know about the scandal:

In the 1970s and 1980s 4,689 people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses through the use of contaminated clotting factors. Some of those unintentionally infected their partners, often because they were unaware of their own infection. Since then more than 3,000 people have died and of the 1,243 people infected with HIV less than 250 are still alive. We now know that 380 children with bleeding disorders were infected with HIV.

TL;DR: We need blood. Putting restrictions on those that will donate when there’s a safety net to protect against the concerns seems stupid to me 🩸
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So much this - The reason for those tests put in place after this are because of what happened - Medicine has come even further since this period of time, and I'm assuming testing is even better than it was 10 years after this happened. I can't see how discriminating helps anyone. We need blood now more than ever with population climbing.

Luka said:
I don’t understand why refusing/restricting anyone who donates blood due to who they sleep with. The blood is screened multiple times before a transfusion etc is even thought of so I don’t know why this is a deterrent. They really destroy their own mission to so to speak. They cry out for donors but (un?)intentionally imply tests aren’t done because everyone knows when blood is donated it isn’t just straight injected into someone.

TL;DR - we all bleed red and everyone is screened. Yes.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY.

Also, I thought we were past the "HIV only comes from anal sex" days. Pretty sure anyone who has multiple partners and has any form of sex is "high risk" - but it's still only anal sex and multiple partners seen as the big bad and that just happens to more closely tie with the LGBTQ+ community. We already test blood multiple times before giving it to anyone - Plenty countries have no deferral as I said. How are some of the most medically developed countries still so far behind?
 
Anyone can donate blood as life is precious and a mystery itself so yes anyone should be able to give blood it doesnt matter your Race ethnicity culture preferences or gender we all are humans we all walk the same Earth and breath same air and feel things and we all bleed red so underneath we all are the same no discrimination should exist among a species that is same we should all give blood if we can to help save people who need it.
 
Louize said:
I know there are plenty of countries where this is allowed (some with restrictions, some without) but as all blood is screened before being used... Why are we, in 2023, when we need blood donations more than ever, not utilising those who will donate?

For example, here in the UK. Monogamous gay and bi males can donate blood, people who have had anal sex with a new or multiple partners need to wait 3 months. This isn't always the case in other countries. The US is still implementing it, Belgium has a 4 month deferral (the female partner of a MsM doesn't need to defer, and trans people are prohibited from donating completely!), Iceland has a 1 year deferral, as does Switzerland.

Adding to this, MsM's can donate stem cells, plenty of countries already have no deferral rules to donating blood, and we're always short of blood so turning away healthy adults seems like a bad idea when crying out for more donors.

MsM donors are seen as "high risk" but surely, in 2023 where PrEP and PEP exist, and a lot of people on those same medications, should we reconsider the rules? Not to mention that all "promiscuity" is high-risk, surely. Wouldn't that mean anyone who is having sex with multiple partners should not be allowed to donate without first fulfilling a 3 month deferral?

Sorry - Part of a debate with a well known LGBTQ+ group I work with, and I found it really interesting - Hoping to get some other views on it!
Click to expand...

I don't support gay people; @Inkandtatts no offense PAL!
 
MAQBOOL said:
@David NY
Don’t always believe what you see on the internet, we all know that’s not true ain’t that right @Chatmaster​
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5ff67e33-0fff-47b9-9faf-febd6187dd37.jpg
 
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