[JURIST] The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced [press release] a plan to end the practice of indefinitely banning men who have ever engaged in sexual acts with other men from donating blood. “With greater knowledge of HIV, the 31-year practice is no longer the most scientifically practical means of protecting the public from increased risk of contracting the virus,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. The new policy, to be enacted sometime in 2015, will reduce the wait period to 12 months. On maintaining a year ban, consistent with the ban for individuals who have engaged in high-risk behavior, the FDA stated, “compelling scientific evidence is not available at this time to support a change to a deferral period less than one year while still ensuring the safety of the blood supply.” Supporters of the measure hail the new policy as helping to abandon the belief that “every gay man is a potential infection source.” The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law at the University of California, Los Angeles [official website] estimates [press release] reducing the ban will make 2.16 million more individuals eligible to give blood in the United States.

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the United States is a controversial topic. Proponents of LGBT rights argue that discrimination [JURIST op-ed] is still a tremendous problem nationwide. D’Arcy Kemnitz, Executive Director of the National LGBT Bar Association, argues that “gay and trans panic” [JURIST op-ed] defenses highlight the discrimination in the law that LGBT community members face. Likewise, Same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] continues to be one of the most controversial legal issues in the US today. While discrimination is still prevalent, Masoud Mortazavi highlighted [JURIST op-ed] how far the American public has come in LGBT acceptance, especially in the realm of sports entertainment.