“We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity”
— George Takei
Criteria changed to make blood donation more inclusive of LGBTQ+ donors
On June 14 2021, the changes to the restrictions in blood donation for LGBTQ+ donors finally came into into effect, meaning that people are now assessed on their individual risk rather than sexuality when donating blood. These new eligibility rules will allow more men who have sex with men (MSM) to donate blood, platelets and plasma, marking an historic move to make blood donation more inclusive while keeping blood just as safe.
The changes to the donor criteria follow an evidence-based review by the UK-wide FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group. The steering group included representatives from the four UK blood services, LGBTQ+ groups, medical and scientific experts, and patient and donor representatives. The FAIR recommendations were designed by epidemiology, sexual health and infectious disease experts, and were accepted in full by the Scottish and UK governments in December 2020.
Although there is still more work to be done in this space, the changes to the restrictions are a fantastic first step towards equality in the blood donation process. As a gay man, we know that this development would have been very important to Patrick.