Up until today, if you are a gay man in the UK and wanted to give blood you would have to have refrained from anal sex for three months.
Now, in a landmark ruling that brings gender neutrality to the questionnaire, if you are in a monogamous homosexual relationship, you can give blood from today.
The questionnaire is wide ranging, even taking chemsex into account, so if you’ve had anal sex with multiple partners you would still have to wait three months to donate – regardless of gender.
Carl (pictured above on the right with husband Martin) from Newbridge, in Caerphilly county was one of the first to donate under the new rules and said to the BBC: “I am absolutely thrilled to be booked in to donate under these changes… It is only fair in today’s society that everyone’s behaviours should be treated the same and not by the gender of their partner.”
The new rules cover all four nations of the United Kingdom and come (perhaps accidentally but no less significantly) within Pride month. Below is a video of why we weren’t allowed to before, just for posterity.