Advocates for gay blood and plasma donation are urging Australia’s federal, state and territory health ministers to question Lifeblood’s newly proposed donor questionnaire.
Last month, Lifeblood – a division of the Red Cross – began allowing men who have sex with men and transgender women to donate plasma, and said it planned to introduce whole blood donation sometime next year.
Let Us Give, an advocacy group for gay blood donations, welcomed the move but raised concerns about new eligibility questions.
“Lifeblood wants to ask an unnecessary, superfluous and confusing question about whether donors have been monogamous for six months,” said Let Us Give researcher Dr Sharon Dane.
Dane pointed to the UK, Canada and the US, which all allow donations from men who have sex with men provided they have not had anal sex in the previous three months.
“This question [about six months] is unnecessary because six months is much longer than necessary for a new HIV infection to show up on tests,” Dane said.
“This 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.”
Lifeblood said its research suggested the proposed questions were not complex and were generally well received.
“As part of extensive research with both non-donors and donors, we proposed three scenarios, including the gender-neutral questions. Participants thought that the set of questions that Lifeblood has chosen to use were best and the least confusing,” it said.
The organisation also defended its approach, noting Canada and the US ask multiple questions and many European nations impose six-month wait periods.
“In Canada and the US, donors are first asked if they have had a new or more than one sexual partner in the past three months,” a Lifeblood spokesperson said.
“They are then asked a sub-question about anal sex in the past three months, if they answer yes. Australia’s structure is the same, except we ask six months.”
The six-month period, Lifeblood said, was chosen based on Australian HIV data showing “[the] majority of cases of new HIV passed on in a relationship occur in the first six months”.
When asked how Australia’s data differed from the UK or Canada, Lifeblood cited factors including frequency of sexual contact but did not provide the data to Gay Sydney News.
Let Us Give campaigner Rodney Croome said the six-month monogamy rule amounted to 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,” he said.
“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.”
“We have written to all Australia’s health ministers urging them to ask Lifeblood for the clinical basis for its proposed questions,” Croome said.
“We have asked Lifeblood a number of times and have not been given a satisfactory answer.”
NSW Health said it supported the expanded donation of blood and plasma but noted there were several steps before whole blood donation could begin for eligible new groups of people.
“NSW Health looks forward to reviewing the proposed updated gender-neutral questions from Lifeblood once the draft eligibility questionnaire is available,” it said.
Australia’s proposed blood donor questions
Lifeblood gave the following explanation for how the new questionnaire will work:
Under Lifeblood’s gender-neutral assessment proposal, donors will be asked two questions. Firstly, if they have had a new sexual partner in the past 6 months and secondly, if they have had sex with more than one partner in the last 6 months. Both questions do not include oral sex.
If no, they will not be required to answer any further questions and can donate. If they answer yes to either question, they will then be asked if they have had anal sex in the past 3 months. If they answer no, they will be able to donate.
If yes, they will have to wait to donate blood but can donate plasma.
For comparison, Canada asks the following:
In the last 3 months have you had a new sexual partner?
If yes – In the last 3 months did you have anal sex?
In the last 3 months, have you had more than one sexual partner?
If yes – in the last 3 months did you have anal sex?
In the UK, blood donors are asked:
Have you had sex with a new partner or more than one partner in the last three months?
If yes – When you had sex with a new partner or with more than one partner in the last 3 months, did you have anal sex?
In the US, donors are asked:
In the last three months have you had sexual contact with a new partner?
In the last three months, have you had sexual contact with more than one partner?
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: eliot.hastie@gaysydneynews.com.au
