The lifetime ban has been modified, but gay men are required to abstain from sex for at least three months before donating blood. Since the blood donation ban went into effect in 1985, the medical community has revolutionized our ability to screen donated blood for various infections like HIV and Hepatitis C. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a lifetime ban on all blood donations from men who have sex with men. Yet, even as we face critical shortages during this global pandemic, one group of people in our country continues to be discriminated against: men who have sex with men.ĭuring the HIV/AIDS crisis, the U.S. While the Texas economy slowly begins to reopen, the need for blood donations, especially from those with COVID-19 antibodies, remains extremely high.
