In 2015, the FDA, after years of political activism attacking the blood donation rules for men who have sex with men, did loosen the rules for homosexuals donating blood. They have to have abstained from homosexual sex for a minimum of 1 year in order to not be deferred (turned away.) This has been the trend in policy in several countries, including Australia. But in Australia, there are severe criminal ramifications for lying on the questionnaire. That is not the case in the U.S.
Wow. Other than killing a lot of people, what is the point of lying about this? Making a few bucks, I guess.
I'm reading that in public blood donations, only the plasma gets actually used, which is never injected into another person, just skimmed for valuable immune elements, and the germs etc., screened out.