Gay organ

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People living with treatable conditions, like Hepatitis C, B, and HIV, can all receive transplants. This is because the donor registration record is a legal document and is used for legal identification after a person has passed away and is being evaluated for donation.

If the gender listed on the donor registration and current legal documents do not match, the registration cannot legally be considered a match and will not provide consent for donation for a potential donor.

The emphasis moved from a person’s identity to specific risk behaviors for infectious disease transmission.

Current Organ Donor Eligibility

Sexual orientation does not disqualify an individual from organ donation.

Donation in the LGBTQIA+ Community

Donor registration is open to any one of any gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Everyone can register to be a donor!

Donor registration is open to any one of any gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.

You can update the gender designation on your donation registration record at any time should your legal gender marker change in the future.

Have questions?

With advances in medicine happening all the time, we do not know what options may exist at the time of someone’s passing. By removing discriminatory barriers, these policies expand the potential donor pool, which is important given the persistent shortage of organs for transplantation. As of now, the FDA, which oversees blood and tissue donation, has regulations in place which can limit what can be donated by gay men.

A common misconception is that sexual orientation, particularly for gay men, prevents organ donation. The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act was passed in 2013. For deceased donors, if a man has had sex with another man in the past 30 days, the transplant recipient will be informed of this and can decide whether to accept the organ.

LGBTQ+ and Donation

Although blood donation may not be possible for some people in the LGBTQ+ community, organ donation is!

Everyone can sign up to be a donor. A person who is transgender or non-binary can register and become a donor regardless of whether or not they are having or have completed medical procedures.

Ready to register as a donor?

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) sets policies for consistent screening and allocation based on medical factors like blood type, body size, and medical urgency, not sexual orientation.

Why Inclusive Policies Matter

Inclusive organ donation policies provide benefits to individuals and the broader healthcare system.

Everyone can register. The HOPE Act allows people living with HIV to be organ donors to people on the transplant list who are also living with HIV. Something special about the HOPE Act is that by expanding the number of people who can be organ donors, everyone can receive a transplant faster. Every time a donor under the HOPE Act saves the life of a person on the waitlist, everyone else on the waitlist moves “up” even faster.

Anyone who believes in donation is encouraged to register as a donor. There are currently more than 200 people living with HIV who are waiting on the transplant waiting list in the U.S.

Can a person undergoing gender transition or who identifies as non-binary register and be a donor?
There are no gender-based restrictions on donation.

Increasing the number of eligible donors means more lives can be saved for the over 100,000 people currently on transplant waiting lists nationwide.

These updated policies reflect advancements in medical understanding and testing capabilities, allowing for precise risk assessments rather than relying on outdated assumptions.

And you can register online! Eligibility is determined by medical criteria, not by sexual orientation.

Past Restrictions and Policy Evolution

Historically, organ donation policies were influenced by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Promoting inclusive policies encourages all eligible individuals to consider registering as organ donors, fostering a more equitable and effective organ donation system.

This change reflected improvements in highly accurate nucleic acid tests (NAT) for detecting HIV, Hepatitis B (HBV), and Hepatitis C (HCV).

These limitations are NOT the same for organ donation--gay men in the U.S. have been both living and deceased organ donors, and the transplants they made possible have saved countless lives.

If I am living with HIV, can I be an organ donor?
Yes! If you want to help others through the gift of donation at the time of your death, register to be a donor and let the medical professionals determine what you can give to help others.

Now, with better medications and advancements in transplant, we are able to help both potential organ recipients AND potential organ donors who are also HCV+ or HIV+ to save the life of someone on the list who is also positive for the same treatable condition.