In December 2014, the Food and Drug Administration announced it planned to lift the lifetime ban of men who have sex with men to donate blood. 

The caveat: men who wish to donate would have to have not had sex with another man in the past year. 

Men who have had sex with other men at any time since 1977 — the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States — are deferred as blood donors, according to the FDA.

“This is because men who have sex with men are at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion,” the FDA states.

1981 – the first trace of HIV was found by the US Centers for Disease Control 

1983 – risk of AIDS from transfusion was first recognized

1987 – last year when transmissions of HIV through factor VIII or IX products in US were found

1992 – FDA lifetime ban of men who have sex with men to donate blood

2012 – FDA approves OraQuick HIV in-home test

2014 – FDA announces plan to end lifetime ban, changes to allow men who have sex with men to donate blood if they haven’t had sex in the past year