New federal guidelines allow LGBTQ+ people to donate blood

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – More members of the LGBTQ+ community can now give blood.

New federal guidelines focus on specific behavior-based risks, rather than broad bans.

The Director of the University of Michigan Health Blood Bank said expanding the donor pool is essential.

”The need for blood is constant. And we need to be able to have a diverse and open community of blood donors, so that we can assure reliable and safe blood supply. In addition, the demographics in this country are changing, and we need to keep up with that. So, we need to have a donor population that is reflective of the entire population of the United States,” said Director Roberson Davies.

Under current guidelines, all prospective donors may be deferred by three months based on certain sexual activity.

That will reduce the likelihood of people with a new or unknown HIV infection entering the donation pool.

People who have had tattoos from state-licensed facilities using sterile equipment and non-reusable ink will not have to wait to donate blood.

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