Some changes could be taking effect this year when it comes to gay men donating blood.
The FDA plans to lift a lifetime ban and instead, defer gay men for one year after their last sexual contact.
It's been 30 years since Michael Quint has donated blood.
"30 years, that's a long time," Quint says.
Before that, he was always first in line.
Then an eligibility question he'd never seen before asking if he had sex with men.
"I realized I couldn't give anymore, which was heartbreaking because it's something I've always done and always wanted to do," Quint says.
The FDA instituted the lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic. At that time, little was known about AIDS or HIV and the FDA says the ban was intended to protect the blood supply.
For Quint, it was a traumatic experience.
"Because I wasn't out, it became even more dramatic or emotional for me because I had to stop giving," Quint says. "And I'd just have to say, well, I'm not feeling well, I don't have time, and that was the challenge."
Today, all blood is screened for HIV and testing for the virus is advanced.
That leads many medical groups and gay rights activists to question the purpose of the ban now.
"It feels so terrible to be seen as dirty and a risk and not wanted," says Elise Johansen, the executive director of Equality Maine.
The FDA has plans to lift the ban, with some restrictions.
Instead of a lifetime deferral, gay men would be deferred for one year after their last sexual contact.
In a statement, the FDA says this decision is based on the results of several recent "scientific studies and recent epidemiological data" and this "better aligns the deferral period with that of other men and women at increased risk for HIV."
"It still feels really discriminatory because it's not a ban based on science, it's based on stigma and bias," Johansen argues.
Johansen says this recommendation is getting mixed reactions, she says many gay men in relationships would still not be able to donate blood.
"Both things are being said in the same conversations, which is yes, it feels like a step in the right direction, but it's not good enough," Johansen says.
According to an analysis by the Williams Institute at UCLA, under this new recommendation, 185,800 additional men are likely to donate 317,000 pints of blood per year.
If there were no restrictions on gay men donating blood, those numbers would nearly double to about 360,600 men donating about 615,300 additional pints.
"There's so many people in our families and in our community that need blood and it would be so wonderful to be able to say, you know what, I donated blood today and I'm really proud I did so and you should do so too," Johansen says.
Quint believes his day will come, when nothing will restrict him from donating. And if it does, "I'm going to be the first one in line," Quint says.
Quint is the organizer of Portland's Gay Blood Drive, which is an opportunity for people who can donate blood, to do so on behalf of a gay or bisexual man who cannot.
He plans to organize this event again this summer in Portland.
The FDA plans to draft its new recommendation sometime this year, which will also include an opportunity for public comment.
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