Coverage of the campaign

Thousands are waiting to donate, but the government won’t let them. Find out why.

Should we continue to discriminate against up to 12 per cent of Australians because of our own irrational fears? writes Matt Bach MP about Australia’s gay blood ban.

‘State ministers are required to sign off on blood donor policy.’

Queensland’s Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has called on the federal government to end Australia’s four-decade-old gay blood ban.

Exclusive: Shannon Fentiman urges federal government to ‘expedite’ individual risk assessments.

The Let Us Give campaign welcomes Labor’s support for ending blood donation restrictions on gay and bisexual men, trans women and some non-binary people.

The Australian Labor Party has voted towards adopting individual risk assessments for all blood donors, in aiming to end the gay blood ban. During Labor’s National Conference in Brisbane, delegates supported a motion allowing men who have sex with men to donate.

Watch the full video: Let Us Give spoke with ABC The Drum on why it is time to lift the gay blood ban.

Australia’s policies on blood donation within the GBT community are out of step with international norms, write Dr Sharon Dane and Rodney Croome.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially dropped restrictions that prohibit gay and bisexual men from donating blood. The ban was implemented in 1983 for men who have sex with men due to the AIDS epidemic.

The United States is joining countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada in easing its blood donation restrictions. Why doesn’t Australia?

The Red Cross has a new rationale for blocking gay blood donation, and it’s just as bad as the rest, says Rodney Croome from the Let Us Give campaign.

Dr Sharon Dane joins Rodney Croome to discuss the latest research into gay blood donation, and why it boosts the case for Australia to adopt individual risk assessment.

Equality campaign Let Us Give questions the plasma pathway, urging instead a move towards individual risk assessments to allow more LGBTQ+ people to give whole blood.

Lifting the current ban on plasma donation by gay and bisexual men, trans women and some non-binary people who have sex with men will not solve the problem of Australia’s dangerously low supplies of whole blood, says activist.

Watch Let Us Give campaign advocate Thomas Buxereau as a guest on Channel 10’s Studio 10.

Equality advocates are urging Lifeblood to screen donors on their sexual activity rather than place a blanket ban on men who are sexually active with men.

The Let Us Give campaign calls for changes to blood donation screening to allow gay and bisexual men, trans women and some non-binary people to donate.

The campaign marks World Blood Donor Day by highlighting the Australians who are willing and able to give, but are not allowed to.

Canada, France, Greece, Lithuania and Austria have all removed restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood this year. On World Blood Donor Day there are renewed calls for Australia to do the same.

“The same questions should be asked of everyone.”