The American Red Cross implemented guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday to relax restrictions on blood donations for gay and bisexual men.

Specifically, the American Red Cross changed its donor assessment questionnaire to remove gender and sexual orientation-specific questions and focus more on an individual’s history. Before, gay and bisexual men were barred from donating blood if they had sex with men in the last three months.

In guidance published by the FDA in May 2023, the agency explained the history of extra restrictions on gay and bisexual donating men stemmed from the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic that occurred in the 1980s, which disproportionately impacted the LGBTQ+ community. Since then, however, technology has advanced to help detect Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV, or the virus that develops into AIDS), and there have been no documented transmissions of HIV or other diseases like Hepatitis B in plasma donations.

The FDA now recommends all individuals regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity disclose any new sexual partners and/or if they recently engaged in anal sex, which has a higher risk of contracting HIV. Additionally, questionnaires should ask about medications used to treat or prevent HIV infections, such as PrEP, which can make HIV levels undetectable for safer sex but possibly still transmit HIV to a person undergoing a blood transfusion.

The American Red Cross’ donor changes fall in line with recent changes in the UK, which expanded blood donation eligibility to gay and bisexual men and updated their questionnaire to be gender- and sexual orientation-neutral. In 2020, Brazil’s Supreme Court found a ban preventing gay and bisexual men who had sex with a man within the past year from donating blood unconstitutional.