Blood Transfusion Service finally lifts ban on gay men donating blood

Tomás Heneghan became one of the first gay men in the country to donate blood after the Irish Blood Transfusion (IBTS) service lifted a lifetime ban for men who have sex with men.

The rule change means that men whose last sexual contact with another man was more than 12 months ago will be eligible to donate if he meets the other donor selection criteria.

Tomás, 25, from Castlegar, Co Galway, was a student when he took a High Court action over the donation ban in July 2015. He dropped his legal challenge a year later when the changes he had sought were announced.