Media Release
Monday August 11th 2025
Gay blood donation advocates critical of proposed donor questions
Health Ministers urged to quiz Lifeblood
Advocates for gay blood donation have asked the nation’s health ministers to question Australia's Lifeblood service over its proposed gender-neutral questions for whole-blood donors which would allow gay blood donation and are scheduled to come into effect next year.
Last month Lifeblood allowed gay men, and bisexual men and transgender women to donate plasma, and plans for them to be able to donate whole blood sometime next year, something Let Us Give campaign has welcomed.
But Let Us Give says the proposed questions for whole-blood donation are confusing, not best practice and appear to be an example of indirect discrimination, prompting it to write to all national, state and territory health ministers urging them to seek Lifeblood’s rationale for the questions.
Let Us Give researcher, Dr Sharon Dane, said,
“In comparable countries like Canada, the UK and US, all donors are asked if they have had anal sex with new or multiple partners in the last three months, and are asked to delay donation if they answer yes.”
"But on top of that question, Lifeblood wants to ask an unnecessary, superfluous and confusing question about whether donors have been monogamous for six months.”
“This question is unnecessary because six months is much longer than necessary for a new HIV infection to show up on tests.”
“The question is also confusing when there is already a three-month monogamy period and it may deter donors who are safe and able to give.”
“We want Lifeblood to ask the simple, straight forward best-practice questions that are asked in Canada, the UK and US."
Let Us Give spokesperson, Rodney Croome, highlighted the possibility the proposed six-month-monogamy question replaces one form of discrimination with another.
“We fear the proposed question is a form of indirect discrimination.”
“Despite all donors getting the same question regardless of sexuality or gender, the new monogamy barrier will be put in place at the same time as gay, bi and trans people are able to donate.”
“The message will be that Lifeblood still sees gay and bisexual men and trans women as sexual risk takers and our blood as inherently unsafe.”
Mr Croome said new donor rules must be approved by all national, state and territory health ministers.
“We have written to all Australia’s health ministers urging them to ask Lifeblood for the clinical basis for its proposed questions.”
“We have asked Lifeblood a number of times and have not been given a satisfactory answer.”
A copy of the letter sent to all health ministers is attached.
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
For more information contact Dr Sharon Dane on 0403 895 268 or Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
