- Federal lawsuit challenges termination of 900+ NIH research grants
- 85% of canceled projects address LGBTQ+ health or DEI initiatives
- Researchers report $26 million in lost funding since March 2025
- Harvard’s LGBTQ Health Center faces permanent closure
The National Institutes of Health faces unprecedented legal action as 11 researchers and institutions challenge sudden contract cancellations affecting critical public health studies. At stake: longitudinal research tracking LGBTQ+ pregnancy outcomes, HIV prevention strategies, and mental health impacts of discriminatory legislation.
Dr. Brittany Charlton’s Harvard team lost five grants mid-study, including a landmark project analyzing obstetrical care disparities for sexual minorities. Terminating fourth-year contracts violates scientific integrity,Charlton stated. We’ve already released 12 staff members and risk losing a decade of baseline data.
The administration’s March 2025 guidance – limiting sex classifications to biological definitions – impacted 73 gender identity studies. Internal NIH documents obtained by plaintiffs reveal a directive to sunset woke pseudosciencethrough contract loopholes. Legal experts note federal grants typically require 120-day termination notices except in cases of misconduct.
Regional Impact: Massachusetts could lose its only LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence, which served 2,300 patients in 2024. The Harvard-based facility provided free PrEP access and gender-affirming care navigation before funding evaporated.
Industry Insight 1: 68% of biomedical researchers now question federal grant reliability per Nature survey data – a 22-point increase since 2020.
Industry Insight 2: Private foundations funded just 14% of terminated studies, leaving specialty fields vulnerable.
Industry Insight 3: Postdoc exodus to industry grows as 41% report delayed tenure timelines due to funding instability.
UAW President Rebecca Williamson condemned the cuts: This isn’t fiscal responsibility – it’s censorship. Our members analyze workplace LGBTQ discrimination patterns, research that prevents $3B in annual productivity losses.
With preliminary injunction hearings scheduled for July, legal analysts predict First Amendment arguments could dominate. As NIH constitutes 28% of global public health research funding, outcomes may set precedents affecting 140,000 active grants worldwide.
