Ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood and plasma in Australia to be scrapped
Guardian1 day
Australia Lifts Blood Donation Ban for Gay, Bisexual Men
Above: Participants prepare for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on March 1, 2025. Image copyright: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
These changes represent long-overdue progress in eliminating discriminatory policies that stigmatized LGBTQ+ communities while maintaining blood supply safety. The science clearly shows that individual risk behaviors matter more than sexual identity, and pathogen deactivation technology makes plasma donation safe regardless of donor demographics. Australia is finally catching up with other progressive nations in treating all potential donors fairly.
Right narrative
Australia's lifting of MSM blood donation restrictions sacrifices safety for ideology. MSM comprised 67% of new HIV cases in 2023, yet the policy trusts imperfect pathogen deactivation and lax deferrals. This endangers recipients by placating activists, compromising the nation's blood supply safety, and increasing the risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases, particularly if individual risk assessments are not rigorously implemented. Science, not politics, should dictate policy.
Progressive narrative
While the changes are welcome, they don't go far enough and create unnecessary confusion with different rules for blood versus plasma donation. Other countries, such as Canada, the U.K., and the U.S., have simpler, more consistent policies that require only three months of monogamous relationships, rather than Australia's proposed six-month requirement for blood donation. The conservative approach may still exclude willing donors unnecessarily.