Greece lifts decades-long ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood

Gay and bisexual men can now donate blood in Greece.

The health minister and his deputy signed a decree on January 10th that changed the way people can donate blood. The list of things prohibiting people from giving blood has been removed from the new form.

The ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood has been in place since 1977. The previous form stated that men who have sex with other men are not allowed to give blood.

The Greek government has done the bare minimum, according to the activists.

"Of course, it is great news, and we hope the government will pay more attention to other discriminations in the healthcare system and in education," said Petropoulou, chairperson of. Gay and bisexual men are free to give blood without pretending they are straight men.

Gay and bisexual men in the UK can donate blood. Previously gay and bisexual men were not allowed to donate blood unless they stopped having sex with men for three months, known as the deferral period. Gay and bisexual men are no longer asked to reveal their sexuality or have sex with another man when donating blood because the health check is the same regardless of gender or sexuality.

Many countries still have blanket bans on gay and bi men donating blood, many of which date back to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

The FDA changed the rules on blood donation in the US in 2015, requiring men to abstain from sex with other men for at least a year before donating blood. The deferral period was reduced to three months in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.