Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - If you are a sexually active gay man, you are still not allows to donate your blood thanks to a ruling by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A committee for the department came out with a ruling this week to continue the 25-year-old ban on blood donations from gay men.

This ban blocks any gay man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood.

The ban was first put into place during the 1980s, but many feel that the ban is outdated and ancient when you think of the way things are set-up today.

When the ban was first put in place, there was a major HIV/AIDS crisis in the U.S.

Due to better treatment and more research though, the general feeling is that a ban because of this reason is no longer necessary as it will not spread the disease.

Those opposed to the continuance of the ban state that it is based on discrimination, not medical science.

Research has shown that a gay man can safely donate blood 12 months after his last sexual encounter with another man.

That was the recommendation made to the committee by the Blood Centers of the Pacific, but it was turned down.