Tinder Joins HRC in Call to End the Blood Donation Ban

Due to what critics have called a discriminatory policy, men who have sex with men remain banned from donating blood. Tinder has joined forces with the Human Rights Campaign to call for an end to the ban.

The groups are urging attention to the FDA-funded study, Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility, or ADVANCE Study. In the study, policymakers will determine whether officials can implement a different blood donation deferral system without contaminating the blood supply.

During the AIDS crisis, officials enacted blood bans to stop sexually active men who had sex with other men from donating blood during the epidemic. Currently, the FDA recommends that men refrain from giving blood for three months after having sex with another man.

All blood donated, regardless of its source, is already screened for bloodborne pathogens, including HIV, using sophisticated screening technologies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of April, Canada has ended its prohibition on blood donations by men who have sex with men, while Austria has also repealed its ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood.

As a result of its goal to eliminate asking whether men have sex with men, Canadian Blood Services now asks all donors about high-risk sexual behavior. Austrians have taken a similar approach that focuses on every individual's risk profile rather than a blanket ban.

A recent op-ed by Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg in Fortuneexplained why she had made it the company's mission to fight prejudice.

"Through our work with the Human Rights Campaign, I have come to understand how I can use my platform as CEO to help effect change," Nyborg writes. "While I am not impacted by this policy personally, I firmly believe that caring people should be empowered to make a positive impact on society."

She explains how Tinder users can access information about the ADVANCE study and how the LGBTQ+ community is one of the fastest-growing parts of the dating platform.

Nyborg says that Tinder members who may qualify will receive a prompt to swipe right on an "All Types" Pride card in the app to access more information and join the study.

For more information on the ADVANCE study, please visit advancestudy.org.