From July 14, gay and bisexual men and men who identify as 'transgender women' will be eligible to donate plasma without having to abstain from sex for three months, following a major policy shift by Lifeblood, Australia’s national blood donation service.

The new approach, celebrated as a 'world first' by the country's mainstream media removes most sexual activity-based deferral periods for plasma donors. It overturns long-standing rules that excluded people from donating plasma if they had sex with men in the previous three months — including sex workers, women who had sex with bisexual men, and those on HIV prevention medication like PrEP.

Lifeblood chief medical officer Jo Pink said the change could dramatically boost donor numbers.

"With more than 600,000 people estimated to be covered by the previous wait times, we now anticipate an extra 24,000 donors and 95,000 extra donations of plasma to be made each year," she said.

Described as a world-leading “plasma pathway”, the update allows donations from a much wider demographic, provided all other health and safety criteria are met.

While many hailed the move as a victory for the LGBTQ community, others including politicians such as Senator Ralph Babet, described the move as 'appeasing the woke agenda.'

The ban on blood donations from sodomites existed for a reason, they are statistically at greater risk of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases. This change isn’t about health, it’s about appeasing the woke agenda. Our blood supply should be protected, not politicised by… pic.twitter.com/n8QEOQjcjV

— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) June 17, 2025

In addition to the plasma rule change, Lifeblood is preparing to overhaul eligibility rules for blood and platelet donations. These reforms follow the Therapeutic Goods Administration's approval of a submission to 'eliminate gender-based sexual activity restrictions.'

Once implemented, all donors — regardless of gender or sexuality — will be asked the same questions about their sexual activity. People in monogamous relationships lasting at least six months will be eligible to donate, while others with new or multiple partners will be eligible as long as they haven’t had anal sex in the past three months.

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