From 2021, men in long-term relationships can donate blood at any time, the government said in what it described as a “milestone” change.
But other men who have sex with men (MSM) must abstain from sexual intercourse for another three months before making a donation.
In the wake of the AIDS crisis, rules prohibiting homosexuals and bisexual men from donating blood have been implemented in many countries, with health agencies arguing that agencies are more likely than others to transmit sexually transmitted infections.
But LGBTQ campaigners and other groups have opposed the ban, arguing that it maintains uniform information about homosexuals and bisexual men, and that the risk of infection disappearing with modern screening methods is small.
The UK change, which came after an advisory panel made recommendations to the government, will see each prospective donor determined on an individual basis.
“It’s a positive move and recognizes the actions individuals take rather than their sexual preferences,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The move was welcomed by LGBTQ charities, but many gays and bisexual men pushed for further changes to allow life-saving donations.
“This change will help ensure that more homosexuals and two men can donate blood, and this marks an important first step toward a policy of donation selection based on personal evaluation,” said Nancy Kelly, Stonewall’s chief executive of the LGBT rights group.
“As we welcome today’s news, we know there is much more that needs to be done to address the challenges that lead to homosexuals and bisexuals, as well as other groups, including black African communities, sex workers and trans communities, who are at high risk of contracting HIV and other STIs.” He added.
In the 1980s, Britain implemented a total ban on donating blood to any man who had sex with another man. It was removed in 2011 in favor of a one-year adjournment period for a homosexual or bisexual donor to abstain from sex, and in 2017 that period was reduced to three months.
Reuters reports that many countries, including Croatia, Malaysia, Singapore and Ukraine, still have global sanctions, while other countries, including Italy and Spain, have no restrictions.
The American Red Cross is one of the organizations that opposes the rules, which states on its website that “eligibility to donate blood should not be determined by methods based on sexual orientation.”
British blood donors will have to answer a series of questions about their lifestyle and sexual history before donating, which will be under the new approach.
As with questions for male donors, female donors are also asked if they have ever had sex with another man.
The UK NHS Blood and Transplant Service said it was “very pleased” with the change, and many lawmakers welcomed the move.
Michael Fabricant, a legislator with the ruling Conservative Party, tweeted when someone said, “Such a contradiction to the attitude I faced campaigning in the health sector many years ago, that homosexuals are telling the truth about their sex lives.”