New rules have come into effect for gay men in Australia around blood donation.
Previously, they were only allowed to give their blood if they hadn't had sex in 12 months.
It was a provision that was brought in during the AIDS epidemic as a way of ensuring gay men infected with HIV couldn't affect the blood supply in Australia.
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However, there are now rigorous testing systems to prevent a person of any sexual orientation from being able to donate affected blood.
The updated regulations have shortened that celibacy time frame to three months.
The rule, which also applies to transgender people who have had sex with a man, includes both oral and anal sex as well as with or without a condom.
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Australian Red Cross's Lifeblood service undertook a review of its sexual activity deferral policies and acknowledged the celibacy time could be shortened.
It set a date for January 31 before the new rules would be put in place.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the move and also allowed gay men to now donate plasma and platelets.
Lifeblood said in a statement: Following the approval of our submissions by the TGA, subsequent agreement by all Australian governments, and an update of Lifeblood systems including the donor questionnaire form, we are pleased to report this change was applied on 31 January 2021 and is now in place for all applicable sexual-activity-based blood donation deferral policies.
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"At Lifeblood we're continuing our focus to make it easier for all Australians to give blood, while always ensuring Australia's blood and blood products are as safe as possible for blood recipients."
While the move is a massive step forward, some campaigners believe it's ridiculous that gay men have to avoid sex for such a long time to donate blood.
LGBTI advocacy group just.equal's blood equality advocate, Rodney Croome, said there's no reason why the waiting period shouldn't be scrapped altogether.
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He pointed to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health that found the systems that detect individual donations are 'are equally effective in protecting the blood supply'.
"This landmark study confirms that reducing the celibacy period is tinkering at the edges," he said.
"To remove discrimination and increase the supply of safe blood, Australia must adopt a new approach to blood donation that screens donors for their individual sexual risk rather than the gender of their sexual partner.
"The current governments of both the United States and the United Kingdom are committed to replacing their gay blood bans with individual risk assessment, and it's time for Australia to do the same.
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"We call on the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Service to ditch a policy American experts label 'illogical and unsubstantiated', and adopt a policy based on scientific evidence instead."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Australia