Gay and bisexual men in England are donating blood in record numbers
Thanks to a change in eligibility criteria in England, Scotland, and Wales that was introduced in 2021, more gay and bisexual men are now donating blood than ever before.
In the 1980s, queer men were banned entirely from donating blood, and while the outright ban was lifted, strict rules around sexual activity were still in place. The updated, more inclusive rules allow many more people who’d previously been excluded “to take the opportunity to help save lives.”
A new survey of male blood donors found that 7.5% self-identified as as gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, bicurious, or sexually fluid, a huge rise from 2014, which showed just 1.4% identified as such.
Why is this good news? Blood donation is life-saving, and nobody who can safely give blood should be restricted from doing so. The previous rules around gay men donating blood were outdated and unnecessarily restrictive — and this progress proves that changing those rules has led to a new pool of life-saving donors.
An annual festival in India allows transgender women to celebrate without fear. This year’s festival took place against the background of an amendment to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, passed in March, which scrapped the right to self-identify gender and introduced medical scrutiny into the legal recognition process.
Same-sex marriage support has grown across all religious affiliations in the last ten years
New data from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that support for same-sex marriage is higher today (65%) than it was in 2015 (53%).
Specifically, support for same-sex marriage is up among all major religious affiliations, including those who identify as White Christian, Christian of color, Non-Christian, and Unaffiliated. The most marked improvement is among White Christians, jumping from 45% to 59% in the last decade.
Additionally, most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people (72%), with Democrats (90%) being the most supportive, followed by independents (76%) and Republicans (56%).
“Maybe we can stop trying so hard to understand the gorgeous mystery of sexuality. Instead, we can just listen to ourselves and each other with curiosity and love, and without fear. We can just let people be who they are and we can believe that the freer each person is, the better we all are.”
We’re thrilled to announce: The 2026 Pride Edition
One thing is clear this Pride Month: The LGBTQ+ community deserves some good news. Although so many queer and trans individuals continue to face very real threats to their safety, well-being, and identities, the Pride Edition serves as a reminder that there really is still hope.
This year’s Pride Edition of the Goodnewspaper — written and illustrated by three LGBTQ+ women — is filled with stories and resources that will have you reveling in rebellion, delighting in queer joy, and shoring up the resilience you need to stay the course.
Print subscribers: Your issue is on its way to your mailbox, if it hasn’t arrived already. And digital-only subscribers, yours is waiting for you in your inbox. Happy Pride!
🏳️🌈 Turns out the Quakers have been defending gay rights for 63 years.
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Are you planning any special Pride celebrations this year?
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