With regard to blood donation, the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) enforces a three-month deferral period for MSM and women who have sex with MSM. They do not otherwise affect other women, including women who have sex with women. The restrictions affect these men and, in some cases, any female sex partners. Restrictions vary from country to country, and in some countries practice of protected sex or periods of abstinence are not considered.
Even men who have monogamous relations with their same-sex partner are found ineligible. However, many deferrals are indefinite meaning that donation are not accepted at any point in the future, constituting a de facto ban. Temporary restrictions are sometimes called 'deferrals', since blood donors who are found ineligible may be found eligible at a later date. Many countries have laws, regulations, or recommendations that effectively prohibit donations of blood or tissue for organ and corneal transplants from men who have sex with men (MSM), a classification of males who engage or have engaged in sex with other males, irrespective of their sexual activities with same-sex partners and of whether they identify themselves as bisexual or gay.
