Blood donation rules relaxed for gay and bisexual men

Tisch

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Some good news to wake up to.

BBC News - Blood donation: Rule change means more gay and bisexual men can give blood
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55296525

Currently the rule is that you must have abstained from sex for three months; but from summer 2021 gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood provided they only have sex with one partner.

It goes on to say even if you've had sex with multiple partners in the last three months, you can still donate provided you haven't had anal sex, which carries the highest risk of transferring infections. This is regardless of the gender of your partners.

For me this is great as giving blood is always something I've wanted to do, and this archaic rule change has been a long time coming. Plus I've always been curious about my blood type.
 
About time. Absolutely shameful that it's taken so long. I took myself out of the organ donation register until this moment happened because lo and behold they wouldn't accept your CONTAMINATED BLOOD but they would welcome your TAINTED ORGANS with open arms. Hypocrites!
 
I have never been against this ban in its entirety, but I am glad that it is being made more targeted on the behaviours and acts, rather than against an entire group of people. Though as someone who hates the idea of the process of giving blood, losing my get out clause is going to give me a moral crisis.
 
Look, I think we’ve found out that I don’t do well with needles so to stop me from passing out, I think I might have to sit this out x
 
I have been even more smug about my blood donations since I found out my blood goes to newborn babies cos I am SPESHUL*. I am pleased I can now nag the gays about going as well as everyone else.

*something about never having had a particular virus
 
I have been even more smug about my blood donations since I found out my blood goes to newborn babies cos I am SPESHUL*. I am pleased I can now nag the gays about going as well as everyone else.

*something about never having had a particular virus

And that's a GOOD THING, right?
 
Which bit? The BABIES? Well it sounds good, doesn't it. I SAVE BABIES! It's the closest I'll come to having one, after all.
 
The whole thing is ludicrous. We've had times where they've been begging people for blood and then going "eww, not YOU" to a gay man while happily taking from any straight bloke who's been dipping their wick hither and thither and is thus absolutely riddled.

The long tail of Section/Clause 28.

(edit - typo in "while")
 
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(NB - I can't give blood cos of my long-term meds so I am sitting in a certain position here).
 
Am I right in thinking that if you are on Prep, you aren't able to give blood? Is that separate from the anal sex thing, or is it just assumed that if you are on Prep, then you would be shagging multiple men?
 
The whole thing is ludicrous. We've had times where they've been begging people for blood and then going "eww, not YOU" to a gay man whole happily taking from any straight bloke who's been dipping their wick hither and thither and is thus absolutely riddled.

The long tail of Section/Clause 28.

Yep. Reminds me of when I was declined an endowment mortgage without an HIV test.
 
Yep. Reminds me of when I was declined an endowment mortgage without an HIV test.
That is outrageous! :( when was it?

Am I right in thinking that if you are on Prep, you aren't able to give blood? Is that separate from the anal sex thing, or is it just assumed that if you are on Prep, then you would be shagging multiple men?
The article doesn't mention. I would have thought being on Prep would show a willingness to be sensible. Surely they can't offer this as an either/or situation? :manson:

Trying to re-find the article and it's not even on the front page of BBC anymore. Maybe I live in a little gay bubble but I would've thought this would have been huge! Bigger than Bowie on my Facebook etc. etc.
 
It really is about time for this - I'll definitely be donating, I had thought about doing it before and just lying but it made me feel a bit iffy.
 
You would think that straights would be gagging to be injected with some fabulosity but I have always questioned their taste level.

Gays should be able to inter-donate blood with other gays to give us those good gay eugenics (higher disposable income, better ageing, propensity to stan Mariah and Gaga)
 
I would have thought being on Prep would show a willingness to be sensible. Surely they can't offer this as an either/or situation? :manson:
Yeah, but does the drug itself have enough of an impact to make blood undonateable, like Octy's meds and I assume many others?
 
Selfish as it may sound, I've seen so many needles over the course of the past 12 months (injecting myself with heparin two times a day for 9 months WHOOP), I'll be glad if I don't see one again for a long time unless I have to.

And that's completely irrespective of the shite that comes along with the "no gay/bi blood pleeease"-crap :manson:
 
Yeah, but does the drug itself have enough of an impact to make blood undonateable, like Octy's meds and I assume many others?
Apparently yes Prep prevents you from donating but everything I'm seeing doesn't explain why. So don't know if it's due to the medication itself or the assumption that you've been having sexytime. I guess we'll see if the advice on it changes.

That is a downer though.

EDIT: Actually found this. So because Prep might delay in knowing whether HIV is present, I would say you are unlikely to give blood if you're taking it:

The use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), e.g. Truvada®, to prevent HIV is increasing. Patients taking PrEP are unlikely to be eligible to donate due to blood safety guidelines. However, PrEP is also available via private prescription and/or online pharmacies and may be used by individuals who would not otherwise be deferred.


Use of PrEP may interfere with testing for HIV by delaying seroconversion or giving unclear results in a positive donor. For this reason, it is important that donors who have taken PrEP in the previous three months are not accepted to donate, even if they do not have another blood safety risk.
 
That is outrageous! :( when was it?

'94 or '95. What annoyed me more was that we were never even told the reason why. We were just instructed to go to a specific health centre and get tested. Even when I phoned to ask why (knowing full well, obviously), they could hardly bring themselves to say it. So we withdrew our application and went for a PEP mortgage instead.

Still, these were the days when two friends both on about 12k each could save for six months, get a deposit together and get a mortgage, so swings and roundabouts.
 
You would think that straights would be gagging to be injected with some fabulosity but I have always questioned their taste level.

Gays should be able to inter-donate blood with other gays to give us those good gay eugenics (higher disposable income, better ageing, propensity to stan Mariah and Gaga)

are there gay blood types too?
Like AB-Fab, and O-EXTRA
 
Was hoping my teeny tiny BMI would excuse me but apparently not :(
 

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