Isle of Man to update blood donation rules for gay men

Men who have sex with men are banned from ever giving blood on the island

Rules preventing gay men from donating blood on the Isle of Man will be updated following fresh anger about the "archaic" restrictions.

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said there was a "willingness" to change the eligibility criteria to individual assessments.

Currently, men who have sex with men are banned from ever giving blood.

It follows a call from Manx Netflix actor Joe Locke for the rules to be brought into line with UK protocols.

The teenager made the comments in a video message played to the crowd at the annual pride event in Douglas on Saturday.

"The Isle of Man to this day does not allow gay men to donate blood, an archaic rule that was placed into force at the height of the AIDS pandemic," he said.

In the UK, men who have not had sex with another man for three months, or have had the same sexual partner for the same period are allowed to donate.

Lawrie Hooper said work was being done to make sure the right processes were in place

Mr Hooper said any new policy put in place needed to be "underpinned by clinical safety".

There were "lots of complicated reasons" why the island's regulations had not yet been updated, he added.

That includes updating standards of blood testing to fall into line with those in England.

"Ultimately the aim is absolutely to move to that position of equality where the ability of give blood is based on whether or not the blood is safe to be used," Mr Hooper said.

James Cherry said it was a step toward equality

The minister said that while the "target" was to change the rules in early 2023, it would be done sooner if possible, adding: "The willingness is absolutely there to make this change."

James Cherry, of the Isle of Pride campaign group, said the announcement was "fantastic news" and a step forward towards "breaking down the barriers to equality".

He said: "It's good that the Isle of Man government has come out and said we are going to be level with our peers in the UK."