Blood donation eligibility
Can You Donate Blood?
Since May 2023 the FDA asks every donor the same behavior-based questions - no more blanket ban for gay and bisexual men. Answer a few, privately, to see your likely eligibility, and if you're deferred, exactly when you can donate.
This is a plain-language guide to the FDA's 2023 rules, not the official screening decision. Your blood center's questionnaire and staff make the final call on the day.
Blood donation eligibility checker
A plain-language guide to the FDA's 2023 rules, not the official decision. Your blood center's Donor History Questionnaire also covers travel, tattoos, medications and health history, and staff make the final call. Never stop PrEP or HIV treatment to donate.
What changed
The FDA's 2023 individual donor assessment
In May 2023 the FDA retired the blanket deferral for men who have sex with men and adopted an individual donor assessment: every prospective donor answers the same behavior-based questions, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. Eligibility now depends on recent specific activities, not on who you are.
In practice, a monogamous gay or bisexual man with no deferring factors can donate like anyone else. The questions are gender-neutral and identical for all donors, which is the whole point of the change.
Deferrals
What defers you, and for how long
These deferrals are temporary and apply to everyone equally. The clock runs from the most recent time each one happened.
New or multiple partners + anal sex
A new sexual partner, or more than one partner, together with anal sex in the last 3 months is a 3-month deferral.
PrEP or PEP
Oral PrEP or PEP defers you 3 months after the last dose; injectable PrEP (like Apretude) defers you 2 years. These medicines can mask HIV on the screening test.
Ever HIV-positive
Anyone who has ever tested positive for HIV is permanently deferred, to protect people who receive donated blood.
PrEP and PEP
Why HIV-prevention medicine defers you
The PrEP and PEP deferral is not a judgment. These medicines can suppress HIV enough to cause a false-negative on the blood-donation screening test, so someone with a very early infection could pass screening. The deferral exists to protect the blood supply, not because being on PrEP makes you an unsafe person.
Never stop PrEP or HIV treatment to donate. Many advocates consider this policy overly cautious, and it may change, but it is the current rule. If you're on PrEP, book a donation once you're past the deferral window instead.
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Sources
Where this guidance comes from
The eligibility rules are from the FDA's 2023 individual donor assessment guidance; the operational detail reflects the American Red Cross and AABB donor-eligibility resources. We don't reinterpret them.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
3 Sources
Data & references
- FDA: Blood & Blood Products (individual donor assessment, 2023)https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/blood-blood-products
- American Red Cross: Eligibility for LGBTQ+ donorshttps://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/lgbtq-donors.html
- AABB: Blood donor eligibility resourceshttps://www.aabb.org/
EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider or a blood center. This tool is a plain-language guide based on published FDA rules: it is not the official screening decision, medical advice, or a diagnosis. Your blood center's Donor History Questionnaire and staff make the final eligibility call.
Good to Know
Blood donation: frequently asked questions
The 2023 rules, PrEP deferrals, and what actually defers you.
Can gay and bisexual men donate blood now?
Yes. In May 2023 the FDA dropped the blanket deferral for men who have sex with men and moved to individual donor assessment: the same behavior-based questions for every donor, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. Eligibility now turns on recent specific activities (like a new partner plus anal sex in the last 3 months), not on who you are. A monogamous gay man with no deferring factors can donate like anyone else.
Can I donate blood if I'm on PrEP?
Not right now, under current FDA rules. Anyone taking oral PrEP or PEP is deferred for 3 months after the last dose, and injectable PrEP (like Apretude) defers you for 2 years after the last shot. This isn't a judgment, PrEP can suppress HIV enough to cause a false-negative on the blood-donation screening test, so the deferral protects the blood supply. Many advocates consider this policy overly cautious, but it's the current rule; don't stop PrEP to donate.
What gets you deferred for 3 months?
Under the current questionnaire, you're deferred for 3 months if, in the last 3 months, you had a new sexual partner (or more than one partner) and anal sex; if you took oral PrEP or PEP; or if you injected non-prescribed drugs or exchanged sex for money or drugs. The clock runs from the most recent time it happened. After 3 months with none of these, that factor no longer defers you.
Does a positive HIV test mean I can never donate?
Correct: anyone who has ever tested positive for HIV is permanently deferred from donating blood, to protect recipients. That's separate from your own health: HIV is very manageable with treatment, and U=U (an undetectable viral load means you can't transmit it sexually). If this applies to you, you can still support blood drives in other ways.
Is this the official decision?
No, this is a plain-language guide to the FDA's 2023 rules to help you know what to expect. Your blood center uses a detailed Donor History Questionnaire that also covers travel, recent tattoos or piercings, medications, and health history, and the staff make the final eligibility decision on the day. Use this to prepare, then check with your local center (such as the American Red Cross).
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