Considerations for transgender and gender non-binary individuals
Contents
Considerations at recruitment
We warmly welcome transgender people to join the Anthony Nolan register. When completing the digital application form, potential donors are encouraged to record both their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity to help us provide the best possible support.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.anthonynolan.org/donation-journey/things-consider/information-transgender-donors
If a potential donor has any further questions, they are welcome to contact our Register Support team on 0207 424 6567.
Considerations at VT
If a donor is undergoing hormone replacement therapy, it is important to establish the source of any injectable medications. If these are being prescribed and issued by licensed practitioners (e.g. a GP or a regulated pharmacy), no deferral is required. However, if the injectable medication is not prescribed by a licensed practitioner, a three-month deferral may apply. This deferral period may be waived following consultation with the transplant centre, particularly given that hormone replacement therapy is often ongoing.
Informing transplant centres
The transplant centre can be informed of a donor’s gender identity if the donor requests this at the time of a donation. The information will be passed to the medical team responsible for the recipient, and they are then responsible for what information is passed to the recipient. Anthony Nolan therefore cannot guarantee that the patient will have been informed about the donor’s gender identity should they choose to make contact with the donor in the future.
Additional information
In general, the concepts of sex and gender are both critical when engaging with potential stem cell donors:
Sex refers to the different physical characteristics of males, females, and intersex people, including differences in chromosomes and gene expression. In most cases, sex is inferred at birth (i.e. sex assigned at birth) based on a simple visual inspection of the newborn baby’s genitals. When asking a donor to report their sex, most often they would know and record their sex assigned at birth. Knowledge of donor sex is important due to the association with peripheral blood stem cell mobilisation yield for the donor and risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease for the recipient.
Gender is a social construct that refers to a person’s intrinsic understanding of themselves. There are many words people use to describe this such as (but not limited to) man or boy, woman or girl, transgender person, and non-binary person. Gender identity is not confined to a binary (girl/woman, boy/man), nor is it static; it exists along a continuum and can change over time. There is considerable diversity in how individuals and groups understand, experience and express gender through the complex ways that gender is institutionalised in society. Knowledge of donor gender is important to respect the donor identity and to treat the donor sensitively and with respect.*
Version
Version 2, Edition 1
Date of Last Update
31st July 2025
