In a long awaited announcement that will be widely appreciated by the large LGBTQIA+ community in Lismore and the Northern Rivers, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has removed most sexual activity wait times for life-saving plasma donations, safely paving the way for many gay and bisexual men, transgender people, sex workers, and people on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEPi) to help save lives.

Previous donor rules prevented many people from the LGBTQIA+ and sex worker communities from donating plasma if they had sex within the past three months.

Plasma, the “liquid gold” part of blood, is now the donation type most needed by Australian patients, with treatment for more than 50 medical conditions reliant on its supply.

Some 625,000 Australians may become eligible to donate plasma, with Lifeblood anticipating around 95,000 additional donations of plasma to be made each year.

CEO Stephen Cornelissen AM thanked the community for their overwhelming support of these changes.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming many more people into our donor centres from today.

“Importantly, today’s change will allow those on PrEP to become the first in the world to donate plasma without a wait period.”

He said patient safety would always be Lifeblood’s top priority, and that extensive research and modelling had shown these changes can be implemented without compromising the safety of Australia’s blood supply.  

“Over the next 12 months, we estimate an extra 24,000 donors will give plasma, but we know people have been eagerly awaiting these changes and hope to far exceed these numbers.”

Lifeblood has also been progressing changes to blood and platelets donation eligibility, with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently approving a submission to remove gender-based sexual activity rules.  

These changes – known as gender-neutral assessments – are expected to be introduced in 2026, and once implemented, will see all donors being asked the same questions about sexual activity, regardless of gender or sexuality.

“These two changes are underpinned by research and evidence that demonstrate safety, and together, will allow the greatest number of people to donate blood and plasma.

“While the rules were put in place to ensure a safe blood supply in the past, we know they have contributed to the stigma faced by many and hope today will be a turning point for Lifeblood and the LGBTQIA+ community and that people will feel welcome to come forward to donate their life-saving plasma,” Stephen added.

The Lismore App would receive regular emails from the LGBTQIA+ community commenting that the restrictions feel "outdated and unfair". The comment was also made that if the restrictions were lifted, "I would love nothing more than to help save lives". That time has come.

To book a donation, call 13 14 95, visit lifeblood.com.au or download the Donate Blood App.

[i] PrEP is an acronym that stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It involves HIV negative people taking antiretroviral medication to protect them and prevent HIV infection. Currently, people must wait 12 months after they last took PrEP to donate blood, or 3 months for plasma.