SDI Productions/iStock(WASHINGTON) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it would loosen some of the restrictions that have blocked gay men from donating blood.
The agency is changing the recommended deferral period from 12 months to three months.
“LGBTQ Americans can hold their heads up today and know that our voices will always triumph over discrimination,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This is a victory for all of us who raised our collective voices against the discriminatory ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. The FDA’s decision to lower the deferral period on men who have sex with men from 12 months to 3 months is a step towards being more in line with science, but remains imperfect. We will keep fighting until the deferral period is lifted and gay and bi men, and all LGBTQ people, are treated equal to others.”
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