Australia scraps blood-donation ban for gay men
It's a change that the LGBTQ community has been advocating for.
The organisation in charge of collecting blood donations in Australia, Lifeblood, has announced the removal of the waiting period for LGBTQ people who are sexually active.
It's a move that the LGBTQ community have been advocating for and brings Australia into line with accepted practice in comparable health systems.
Previously, sexually active gay men, bisexual men, and trans women were required to abstain from sex for at least three months before they could donate blood. It's a policy that reflected the perceived risks of HIV transmission and entrenched the stigmatisation of the LGBTQ community.
Coming into effect from 14 July, it's estimated that the changes will enable more than 600,000 people in Australia to donate blood.
“We thank the TGA and Lifeblood for removing a ban that limited the supply of safe whole blood and stigmatised gay men, and bisexual men and trans women who have sex with men, as a threat to public health...” said Rodney Croome - the spokesperson for Let Us Give, an organisation that has advocated for the removal of the ban. “The overseas experience shows that asking all donors the same gender-neutral questions is win/win because it does not increase disease risk, opens up a vital new source of safe blood and makes the blood supply less discriminatory.”
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia?
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia? Let's take a look at some of the key equality indicators.
Is it legal to be gay?
Yes. The United Kingdom invaded the continent we now know as Australia in 1788. The colonies that they established inherited their laws from the UK – including the Buggery Act of 1533 that made sodomy a crime punishable by death.
Over time, the colonies developed into states, and a federation was created so that they could operate as one country.
Sodomy remained a crime punishable by death until 1949 (some states removed it earlier than others).
Being gay remained a crime in Australia until 1997 (although some states began the repeal process in 1975).
It is now legal to be gay in Australia.
Is there anti-discrimination legislation in place?
Yes. Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation was implemented across all states in Australia in 2013. Prior to that, the anti-discrimination protections had been evolving (from around 1986) but had been fragmented.
Is there marriage equality?
Yes. Following a public vote in 2017, Australia has embraced marriage equality.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia?
While there are still isolated incidents of homophobia and anti-gay violence, Australia is a good place to be gay.
You will find gay people living openly in communities across the country (not just the larger cities), and media representation of LGBTQ characters is generally positive. There are numerous Pride celebrations held across the country.
However, LGBTQ people from Indigenous communities have poorer health outcomes and face additional barriers to living openly.
