All blood donors regardless of gender, sexual orientation now screened the same way

ORLANDO, Fla. — Starting this week, OneBlood said all blood donors regardless of gender or sexual orientation will be asked the same screening questions.

The policy change went into effect on Monday.

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The FDA’s previous donor eligibility criteria were based on sexual orientation, which OneBlood said made it challenging for gay and bisexual men to donate blood.

The previous policy required gay and bisexual men to wait three months following their last sexual contact with another man to donate blood.

Read: New FDA regulations make it easier for LGBTQ+ members to donate blood, 7 years after Pulse tragedy

OneBlood said the new FDA policy eliminates the time-based restriction of three months and instead screens all potential donors equally, using a series of questions that assess an individual’s risk of HIV, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

OneBlood said the FDA’s new donor eligibility policy is in line with blood donation policies currently in place in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Read: New FDA rules ease restrictions on gay, bisexual men to donate blood

You can read more about the new policy here.

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