Blood Donation in Switzerland: What Now Applies to Gay and Bi Men

Anyone who wants to give blood in Switzerland goes through a health questionnaire and a short medical interview before every donation. The purpose is to minimise the risk that an infection such as HIV or hepatitis could be passed on through a donation. For many years this meant especially strict treatment for men who have sex with men (MSM): for a long time Switzerland applied what amounted to a near-total ban on donation based on sexual orientation alone. For many queer people and organisations this was not only medically outdated but also stigmatising, because it treated an entire group as a risk by default.

A first major step came in 2017. That year the therapeutic-products authority Swissmedic, acting on a request from Blutspende SRK Schweiz (Swiss Transfusion SRC), approved lifting the blanket exclusion. In its place came a so-called deferral period: MSM could donate provided twelve months had passed since their last sexual contact with a man. Legally this was no longer an exclusion, but in practice it remained a very high hurdle – effectively almost impossible to meet for many men in an active relationship or with a regular sex life. Criticism therefore continued: the standard still keyed on orientation rather than on actual individual risk.

The decisive shift came in 2023. On 24 July 2023, acting on an application from Blutspende SRK Schweiz, Swissmedic approved revised donation criteria that no longer distinguish by sexual orientation. Since 1 November 2023 the same rules have applied to all prospective donors – regardless of whether their sexual contacts are heterosexual or homosexual. What matters is no longer who someone has sex with, but specific behavioural factors that apply equally to everyone.

Under the new logic, deferrals are tied to new sexual partners. In simplified terms: anyone who has recently had a new sexual contact is deferred for four months; having more than two new partners within that four-month window triggers a twelve-month deferral. These criteria explicitly apply to everyone in the same way. With this, Switzerland follows an international trend towards individual risk assessment that other countries have also adopted. Importantly, the exact periods, wording and exceptions can be adjusted and are clarified in the personal pre-donation interview – the figures cited here should be read as orientation, not as a binding answer for an individual case.

For the queer community this reform matters above all symbolically and practically. Symbolically, because it ends the message that gay and bisexual men are inherently a risk. Practically, because it lets more people actually donate – "our blood saves lives too," as organisations such as Pink Cross and the Swiss Aids Federation, which campaigned for equal treatment for years, have put it. At the same time, donating is never automatic: even after the reform, all donors must complete the questionnaire honestly, and medical deferrals apply to every person.

Queer Switzerland follows this topic and links to the official source. The currently valid donation criteria are set by Blutspende SRK Schweiz / Transfusion CRS Suisse and approved by Swissmedic; what counts is always the latest official information. Anyone who actually wants to donate should check the precise conditions directly with Blutspende SRK Schweiz or their regional blood-donation service. This article is for information and does not replace medical or legal advice. Anyone with questions about sexual health, HIV or PrEP can find confidential support through the Swiss Aids Federation and the regional Checkpoints.