In brief
- A change in rules has paved the way for thousands of blood donations to Australian red Cross Lifeblood from the LGBTQI+ community.
- Gay and bisexual men can now donate plasma without a waiting period, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.
Each time Erol Dalkic prescribed blood transfusions for his patients, he was reminded that he might never be part of such life-giving efforts.
However, on Monday, he donated whole blood for the first time, thanks to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s revised policy on sexual activity, which has opened the door for thousands within the LGBTQI+ community to contribute.
“Growing up in the 90s, in the aftermath of the devastating HIV and AIDS crisis, people like me were often stigmatized as carriers of dangerous diseases,” Dalkic shared with the Australian Associated Press.
“This moment is incredibly significant, as it allows us to feel more accepted and integrated into society,” he added.
As of Monday, men will no longer be required to disclose if they have recently had sexual relations with another man on pre-blood donation questionnaires.
Instead, the same set of questions regarding sexual activity will be posed to all prospective donors, irrespective of gender.
This will allow more gay and bisexual men and transgender people who are in monogamous, long-term relationships to give blood, with modelling showing Lifeblood could receive up to 20,000 extra donations per year.
Those who aren’t in these relationships will still be able to donate plasma after Lifeblood in July lifted a ban on donations from gay and bisexual men, and transgender women.
‘We’ve been waiting so long to help’
Dalkic and his long-term partner Graham August have made 15 donations each since the change and formed a donation team, Fruit Juice, to support other members of the LGBTQI+ community who also want to take part.
“We like the term spiteful altruism because we’re doing the right thing, we want to contribute, but it’s also a ‘screw you’ because we’ve been waiting so long to help,” August told AAP.
“This is our community saying: we’re here, we’ve been waiting, look at all the good we can do.”
Previously, rules stopped many from donating plasma if they had sex with men in the previous three months.
For August, who had watched his father donate blood more than 300 times, being barred from following in his footsteps felt wrong.
“It hurt, it felt like I was being excluded and not by any choice of mine,” he said.
“Seeing my dad doing all that, seeing other members of the community doing it and now being able to do it myself feels correct.”
Gay and bisexual men, and anyone who takes the HIV prevention medication PrEP, can now donate plasma without a waiting period, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.
This followed extensive research and modelling showing there would be no impact on the safety of donations under the change.
“We would like to acknowledge all of those that have waited years to be able to donate,” Lifeblood executive director Cath Stone said.
“We wait for the right science and evidence and then we make changes at the appropriate time.”
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