Nebraska Community Blood Bank expands LGBTQ donor eligibility next week

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Starting next Monday, the Nebraska Community Blood Bank will expand eligibility for LGBTQ+ donors. 

It will eliminate screening questions about sexuality.  

“In May, the FDA issued final guidance on the blood screening process for donors and removed the gender identity and sexual orientation for all donors,” said the blood bank’s marketing manager, Kari Lundeen.

Former Food and Drug Administration guidelines didn’t allow many LGBTQ people to donate.

Gay and bisexual men were not allowed to donate if they had been sexually active in the previous three months.

“That has been eliminated,” Lundeen said.

Now, all interested donors must answer questions about sexual history and other factors. 

“For many years, Nebraska Community Blood Bank has been advocating to the FDA to change,” Lundeen said.  “And we’re really happy that they’ve taken these steps forward, but we also know that there are some works to be done.” 

The blood bank has been preparing staff for the changes since they were approved.

“Any time that there’s a monumental change like that, it’s going to take some time to update our system and also train the collection staff,” Lundeen said.

She said the change comes during a statewide blood emergency. She said is happy to welcome everyone.

If you want to become a donor, you can schedule an appointment at the website or call 402-486-9414.