A researcher who was one of many to have their grants terminated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is speaking out about how the halting of such research could have harmful effects.
Recently, several active research grants related to studies involving LGBTQ+ issues, gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were canceled at the NIH. According to termination letters sent to researchers at various universities that were reviewed by ABC News, the canceled projects do not serve the “priorities” of the current administration.
Among those to receive letters was Dr. Brittany Charlton, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Charlton told ABC News all of her grants have been terminated as of Friday, meaning she has lost all of her funding.
“Watching scientific research grants be terminated because of what appears to be political suppression is devastating,” she said.
Among Charlton’s grants terminated was a five-year grant, of which Charlton and her colleagues were on year four, focused on documenting obstetrical outcomes for lesbian, gay and bisexual women, she said.
Another grant was focused on how to improve the experience of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals who are trying to form their families.
A third was research looking to understand how discriminatory laws, such as so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills, impact mental health among LGBTQ+ teens and potentially lead to depression and suicide.
She said this specific grant had 4.5 more years and millions of dollars left at the time of termination.
“Having our NIH funding be terminated is unprecedented and deeply concerning,” Charlton said. “NIH grants undergo a highly competitive review process, and terminations are extremely rare. This decision seems to be based solely on the perceived conflict with the recent executive order related to ‘gender ideology,’ rather than our work’s merit or scientific rigor.”
The termination comes as President Donald Trump has passed a flurry of executive orders including vowing to “defend women from gender ideology extremism,” which has led to new guidance, like that from the Department of Health and Human Services, which now only recognizes two sexes.
The administration has also issued several executive orders aiming to dismantle DEI initiatives.
In previous termination letters, viewed by ABC News, they state that, “Research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return on investment, and do nothing to enhance the health of many Americans. Many such studies ignore, rather than seriously examine, biological realities. It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize these research programs.”
“The premise…is incompatible with agency priorities, and no modification of the project could align the project with agency priorities,” the letters continue.
The White House did not return ABC News’ requests for comment.
In a statement to ABC News, the NIH said, “In accordance with the Presidential Memo ‘Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending’, information on NIH’s terminated grants may be accessed through this website.”
Charlton said her research would add to a growing body of evidence showing that anti-LGBTQ+ legislation can have a harmful effect on mental health.
One 2021 analysis found a small but statistically significant increase in texts to Crisis Text Line from LGBTQ+ youth in the four weeks after anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was proposed.
Another 2023 study, from Yale School of Public Health, found Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ youth who live in states with discriminatory policies were more likely to experience symptoms of depression compared to those who live in states with LGBTQ+ protections.
“This research is vital for assessing the real-world implications of policies that disproportionately affect the LGBTQ community. Halting this work undermines efforts to address mental health inequities,” Charlton said.
However, she said it’s not only LGBTQ+ populations who will be affected by such research coming to a stop.
“This termination has broader implications, not just for the LGBTQ community but for all Americans. It sets a concerning precedent where scientific inquiry is stifled by political rhetoric, potentially erasing entire communities from research agendas,” she continued.
Charlton said she will have to find funding to continue her research, otherwise she will have to shutter the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence — based at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — of which she is the founding director.
She added that the termination of the NIH grants “emphasizes the need for support from private foundations and philanthropists” which, while important, “cannot fully replace the comprehensive scope of NIH funding.”
Earlier this month, an NIH official with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity, confirmed to ABC News that NIH institutes and centers are being asked to review awards for new and ongoing projects to ensure they do not “contain any DEI research activities or DEI language that give the perception that NIH funds can be used to support these activities.”
Sources told ABC News the termination of grants does not appear to be very organized, leading to the termination of grants without any DEI focus, but which contain words such as “diversity” to describe a term in the paper.
