In 1980, MSM were placed under a lifetime ban in terms of blood donation due to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
2011 one-year deferral
In September 2011 this lifetime ban was lifted in all parts of the UK, and a 1-year ban was put in place for MSM who are sexually active, regardless of whether safe sex practises were undertaken. The gay rights group Stonewall said the move was a "step in the right direction". However, a spokesperson pointed to the fact that high-risk heterosexuals would still be less controlled than low-risk gay men: "A gay man in a monogamous relationship who has only had oral sex will still automatically be unable to give blood but a heterosexual man who has had multiple partners and not worn a condom will not be questioned about his behaviour, or even then, excluded." The Independent reported that Andy Wasley, editor in chief of So So Gay magazine, called for "more precise selection criteria" to be used in identifying high-risk potential donors. It was not clear how much the total amount of blood donated would change following this change, Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, is quoted as saying it is impossible to say how many men would actually be able to start donating blood, as "the vast majority of gay men are still active".
Political opposition to deferral
In 2015, the Green Party of England and Wales claimed that they would "push for consultation on reducing the 12-month blood donation deferral period for men who have sex with men, based on individual risk assessment where the donor is identified to be not at risk of passing infections into the blood supply" in their General Election Manifesto and LGBTIQ Manifesto. In 2015, Welsh writer and poet RJ Arkhipov exhibited a poetry series written with his own blood as ink in protest of the MSM blood donor restrictions. The Liberal Democrats' first opposition day motion in the 2015 Parliament called for the government to end the 'gay blood ban'.
Current policy
In November 2017, a new blood donation policy within Scotland, England and Wales was enacted. Men who have sex with men can now give blood three months after their last sexual activity, instead of 12. Experts said the move would give more people the opportunity to donate blood without affecting blood supply safety. The UK Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs – which advises UK health departments – recommended the changes after concluding that new testing systems were accurate and donors were good at complying with the rules. The change came after a two year campaign from FreedomToDonate, a group of four volunteers who ran the campaign in their spare time. Ethan Spibey, Andy Clarke, Joe Allen and Dan Costen were credited with the Government agreeing to there being a review. Following the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland in January 2020, the deferral period there was reduced to 3 months, in effect since 1 June 2020.
Criticism
Following the change in deferral period to three months, Stonewall released a statement stating "while a shortened deferral period is an important move, the reality is that most gay and bi men will still be excluded from donating blood." Gay rights groups called for a move to an individualised risk assessment, which takes into account the risk associated with sexual behaviour, regardless of the gender or sex of their partner. This would follow a similar model to Italy, which saw no increase in risk of HIV infection following the change in 2011. In 2019, the UK blood donation services set up the FAIR steering group to explore possibilities of individualised risk assessment with regards to sexual behaviours and risk, in conjunction with Public Health England, Stonewall, the Terrence Higgins Trust and other groups. It is due to provide a report before the end of 2020.
