Lifeblood, Australia’s national blood donation service, has changed its sexual activity eligibility rules, meaning gay and bisexual men will now be able to donate without staying celibate for three months prior.

Current rules across Australia prevent gay and bisexual men and transgender women who have sex with men from donating either blood or plasma, if they’ve had sex in the three months preceding their appointment.

Announced today, Lifeblood is set to change its rules from Monday, 14 July 2025, removing “most” sexual activity wait times for plasma donations in a bid to “make blood and plasma donation more inclusive and accessible”.

Gay and bisexual men, and anyone who takes PrEP (Pre-Exposure Phrophylaxis, an HIV prevention medication), will be able to “donate plasma without a wait period, providing they meet all other eligibility criteria.”

Lifeblood adds: “Extensive research and modelling show that there will be no impact to the safety of the plasma supply with this change.”

Dr Jo Pink, Lifeblood’s Chief Medical Office, said that more than 600,000 people were “covered by the previous wait times”, and with plasma now the donation type “most needed by Australian patients”, the change is critical.

“We’re excited to be able to welcome more people from across the community into our donor centres from next month,” Dr Pink said.

“We now anticipate an extra 24,000 donors and 95,000 extra donations of plasma to be made each year.”

Can gay and bisexual men donate blood in Australia?

In terms of blood donation, Lifeblood has “been progressing changes to blood and platelets donation eligibility”, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved a submission to “remove gender-based sexual activity rules.”

In a statement, Lifeblood said, “Once implemented, all donors will be asked the same questions about their sexual activity, regardless of their gender or sexuality, and most people in a sexual relationship of 6 months or more with a single partner will be eligible to donate blood.

“In addition, most people with new or multiple partners will also be able to donate blood if they have not had anal sex in the last 3 months. The change will bring an end to men being asked if they’ve had sex with another man.”

Most people unable to donate blood under the updated gender-neutral rules will still be able to donate plasma in Australia without a wait.

Dr Pink said that changes to blood donation eligibility are being made with the safety of patients as the number one priority.

“Our submission to change rules for blood donation included data that shows, for now, a 6-month wait is the safest option for Australian patients, but we are committed to reviewing this as more evidence becomes available.

“There are many steps that Lifeblood needs to take before we can implement the new gender-neutral assessments, including working with state and territory governments to change the donor questionnaire. We hope to be able to implement this part of the changes next year.”

Dr Pink addded: “This is a significant milestone in being able to safely reduce wait times and make it easier for more people in the LGBTQIA+ community to donate,” added Dr Pink.

“Blood safety is and always will be our top priority, but we know the current donation rules have been very difficult for many people in the LGBTQIA+ community. While they were put in place to ensure a safe blood supply in the past, we know that they’ve contributed to the stigma faced by the community.

“We hope as we move through the process of seeking to have both these changes introduced, that this will be a turning point for both Lifeblood and the LGBTQIA+ community.” 

The blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men in Australia were relaxed in 2021, introducing the aforementioned three month celibacy rule.

In the UK, gay and bisexual men can donate blood, provided they are in a monogamous long-term relationship, or have been with their sexual partner for more than three months.

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