April 27 2026, 08:15 
Gay and bisexual men and transgender Australians who have sex with men can now donate blood under the same rules as their straight counterparts, the Australian Red Cross announced this week.
As of Monday, all donors are now asked the same sexual activity questions in the organization’s pre-blood donation questionnaire, regardless of gender and sexual orientation.
Related
The FDA loosens blood donation rules, allowing more gay & bi donors
“The change is part of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s ongoing work to make donation more inclusive while maintaining the safety of donated blood,” the community services charity said in a statement.
Officials estimate that up to 20,000 additional blood donations are expected to be made each year across the country, with the new rules allowing many gay and bisexual men and transgender people to donate for the first time.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
“Previous donor rules prevented many people from the LGBTQIA+ community from donating blood or platelets if they’d had sex within the past three months,” Lifeblood Chief Executive Officer Stephen Cornelissen said.
“These latest changes mean many gay and bisexual men and transgender people in long-term, monogamous relationships will become eligible to donate blood or platelets.”
The new rules now align requirements for gay and bisexual men and transgender people with those for straight Australians, which mandate that anyone in a monogamous relationship can donate blood immediately if they meet other criteria, including age and iron level requirements.
Australians must be between 18 and 75 to donate, or a maximum age of 71 for first-time donors.
Men will no longer be asked if they’ve had sex with men in the pre-donation questionnaire, regardless of sexual orientation.
“This is something we’ve been researching and working on for some time together with governments, LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups and the broader community, and we’re excited to be welcoming many more new donors into our centers to donate blood and platelets from today,” Lifeblood’s Cornelissen said.
The U.S. adopted similar rules in 2023, when the FDA updated its guidance to determine eligibility based on individual behavior, including the number of sexual partners a donor has had over a period of time, rather than sexual orientation.
Previous rules in the U.S. and Australia and other countries governing donations from men and transgender people who have sex with men date back to the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, when there was no reliable way to test quickly for HIV exposure. As such, those groups were barred from donating blood.
The ban on donations from sexually active gay and bisexual men and transgender individuals lingered even as
The change was welcomed by LGBTQ+ activists promoting the reform down under.
“After three decades of advocacy, and for the first time in my life, I was able to donate blood today,” said Rodney Croome, spokesperson for the Let Us Give campaign in Australia.
Croome noted that people on PrEP and some trans individuals “face continued barriers” even with the changes, but vowed to continue to work with Lifeblood “towards greater equity in donation.”
“I know some gay men my age are wary about donation,” the activist said, along with a pic of himself donating blood. “They might have been turned away in the past, or feel resentment about the old ban. I want my donation to encourage newly-eligible donors to put all that behind us, roll up our sleeves and give the gift of life.”
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.