The U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) decided to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, provided that they abstain sex for a year. The gay rights community found this offensive and wanted the "de facto lifetime ban" to just take effect.

The FDA implemented the lifetime prohibition in 1983 but medical groups sat the advances made in HIV testing has made the ban no needed, while gay rights groups say that it only sustains stereotypes. 

Like Us on Facebook

The Department of Health and Human Services is in favor of what the FDA has decided about their one-year celibacy rule. Still, the gay community did not like the new rule and called it offensive and harmful, NBC News relayed.

The Gay Men's Health Crisis group said that it only fan the flames of the outdated stereotype that HIV is just a disease for the gay community. The new rule exempts straight individuals from donating blood not needing to be abstinent from sex for a year, the group added.

Some people might think that it is a good change for the community, but the truth is that the rule is just the same as the de facto lifetime ban, the group said. Ever since the epidemic came into the picture, the group has seen how fear, stigma and even discrimination have added to the rise of HIV.

Scott Schoettes, the director of HIV Policy for Lambda Legal said that the FDA's new rule is geared towards a right direction, although donating blood must be in accordance to the current scientific knowleage and experience and not be based on fear and stereotypes. However, the rule should focus on the donor's conduct and not on their sexual orientation or their gender identity, said Schoettes.

TagsFDA, celibacy, Gay, Bisexual, blood donation, new rule, LGBT