The Trump administration has recently cancelled at least 68 grants aimed at researching the health of LGBTQ individuals. These grants, awarded to 46 institutions and totalling nearly $40 million, supported various studies related to sexual minorities, including HIV prevention and cancer research. This move is part of a broader initiative to refocus scientific research, which the administration describes as eliminating “ideologically driven” projects.
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Among the affected grants, a project at Vanderbilt University that was tracking the health of over 1,200 LGBTQ individuals aged 50 and older will no longer receive funding. The cancellation of such projects has drawn criticism from researchers, who argue that the studies provided valuable insights and training, helping to improve healthcare for LGBTQ communities. Dr Tara McKay, who led the Vanderbilt project, emphasised the long-term benefits of her research, which included enhancing cancer screening rates among LGBTQ people.
Simon Rosser, a researcher at the University of Minnesota studying cancer in gay and bisexual men, also saw his grants terminated. He highlighted the wider consequences of the cuts, stating that halting funding for LGBTQ health research would hinder scientific discovery and lead to job losses in the field. Rosser warned that cancelling these grants could set back a generation of research aimed at understanding LGBTQ health issues.
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Termination letters issued to researchers justified the cancellations by labelling the projects as “unscientific” or lacking in relevance to the health of the broader American population. This reasoning has sparked further frustration, with McKay noting that LGBTQ individuals are also American citizens, and their health should be a priority in the country’s scientific efforts.
