Melbourne Chargers Organise Blood Drive To Mark New Donation Rules
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Victoria’s inclusive rugby club, the Melbourne Chargers, have celebrated Australia’s new plasma donation rules through organising a team blood drive.
Today marks the introduction of new national plasma donation rules, ending the controversial sexual activity wait times for many members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Last month, Lifeblood announced they would be lifting their sexual activity rule for blood donation and plasma donation, which prohibited gay and bisexual men, and transgender women from being able to donate plasma if they had been sexually active with men in the last three months.
People on HIV prevention medication PrEP will also be eligible to donate plasma, making Australia the first country in the world to do so.
Rugby team, the Melbourne Chargers have commemorated the lift of the ban by organising a blood drive. More than twenty eligible team members will take an hour or so out of their days today to donate their plasma to those who need it.
Organiser of the drive, Nick Western, said the team were proud to support a change that had been long overdue.
“The day the change was announced, the team chat lit up with people excited to finally be allowed to give,” said Western.
“We wanted to be there on day one to show our support for the new rules, and to encourage other members of our community to get involved and donate.”
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The Chargers, who are primarily made up of gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, are no strangers to a bit of community action.
“The Chargers place huge value on our community, and we’re proud to be able to give back in such a tangible way,” said President of the Chargers, Chris Pezet.
“This is a milestone moment for the LGBTQIA+ community and we’re proud to roll up our sleeves and be included in this part of history.”
The move comes after years of campaigning from LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups to have the ban lifted, with public sentiment strongly supporting the change.
Over half a million more people eligible to donate
CEO of Lifeblood, Stephen Cornelissen said that the organisation was looking forward to welcoming “many more people” into their donor centres from today.
“Importantly, today’s change will allow those on PrEP to become the first in the world to donate plasma without a wait period,” he noted.
Research from the Kirby Institute estimates that 625,000 more Australians are now eligible to donate, with around 95,000 additional donations to be made every year.
In 2026, Lifeblood will also be removing the collection of gender-related questions on the forms screening potential blood and platelet donors.
The questions will switch from asking men if they have had sex with men in the three months prior, to simply asking all participants if they have engaged in anal sex with any new partners in the previous three months.
