Even today in most of the so‐called ‘civilized world’, it is normally illegal for somebody to donate blood if he has had sex with another man (and a woman who’s slept with those men can be disallowed, too). As far as I can tell, this fad started in the 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, but I would be unsurprised if it’s older than that.

In recent decades, some countries have adopted tedious ‘deferral periods’ as compromises, where somebody can donate blood so long as he hasn’t had sex with another man for several months, but I think that all that these really accomplish in the end is contribute to the stereotype of gay and bisexual men as being sickly.

The following is a brief list of social democracies that have prohibited (sexually active) queer men from donating blood:

Denmark: completely banned until 2020, but now permissible if the man has been sexually inactive for at least four months.

Finland: completely banned until late 2013, but now permissible if the man has been sexually inactive for at least twelve months.

Iceland: completely banned until 2022, but now permissible if the man has been sexually inactive for at least four months.

Norway: completely banned until 2017, but now permissible if the man has been sexually inactive for at least twelve months.

Sweden: completely banned until late 2011, then permissible if the man has been sexually inactive for at least twelve months, and now if he’s been inactive for at least six.