CityBeat: Cincinnati's Hoxworth Blood Center will begin accepting blood donations from gay and bisexual men by end of year
Expanded FDA regulations have opened new doors for blood banks and the LGBTQ+ community, but there's still some stipulations.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the removal of restrictions that prevented gay and bisexual men from donating blood. This move marks a significant change in policies that have been criticized for stigmatizing the LGBTQIA+ community.
The previous regulations were initially implemented in 1983 to prevent HIV transmission and had gradually eased by 2020, allowing a three-month deferral after a sexual encounter with another man.
The announcement has been met with enthusiasm from medical professionals and the blood industry. David Oh, MD, chief medical officer at Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati, which services more than 30 area hospitals and medical centers in the greater Cincinnati area, said he was at a medical conference when the news dropped.
“The room was full of blood professionals who gave a standing ovation to the FDA,” Oh told CityBeat. “The entire blood industry is very excited for these changes. We all feel like it’s an advancement for the field.”
While the blood donation process won't change drastically due to rigorous HIV testing, the questionnaire for potential donors will be adjusted to reflect the new guidelines. Oh says that the new questioniare is expected to be implemented at Hoxworth by the end of the year.
“We have to create algorithms for what the answers are, flow charts,” Oh said. “Part of that complexity comes because blood is essentially considered to be a drug by the FDA. So all the things that pharmaceutical companies have to do for their manufacture of prescription medications, we do and are held responsible for through the production of blood.”
About Hoxworth:
Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati, was founded in 1938, and serves more than 30 hospitals in 18 counties in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Annually, Hoxworth collects more than 100,000 units of blood from local donors to help save the lives of patients in area hospitals. Hoxworth Blood Center: Saving Lives Close to Home.
Related Stories
Cancer Center plays key role in lab research, clinical trials for new pancreatic cancer drug
September 1, 2026
WLWT and WCPO highlighted the contributions of University of Cincinnati Cancer Center researchers that helped lead to the recent FDA approval of daraxonrasib, a new treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Cancer Center physician receives $150,000 New Investigator Research Grant to study treatment-resistant leukemia
September 1, 2026
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Sarah Skuli, MD, PhD, received a two‑year, $150,000 Leukemia Research Foundation New Investigator Grant to study TP53‑mutated leukemia, a treatment‑resistant subtype with very poor outcomes.
Heavy social media use linked to depression
August 31, 2026
U.S. News and World Report, Yahoo! News, MSN, USA Today and other national media highlight a new study by the University of Cincinnati and Northwestern University that found a correlation between heavy social media use and depression in adults.