By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Dozens of research projects focused on LGBTQ health have been canceled by the U.S. government, alarming scientists who say the move will harm public health and slow scientific progress.<\/p>\n
At least 68 grants to 46 institutions were terminated last week, according to a federal website.<\/p>\n
These grants, in total, were worth nearly $40 million when awarded, The Associated Press<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n While some of the money was already spent, at least $1.36 million in future funding was scuttled. That number may be much higher since data was available for only about a third of the grants.<\/p>\n Many of the canceled studies focused on the health of sexual minorities, including research on HIV<\/a> prevention, cancer, youth suicide and bone health.<\/p>\n The agency is \u201cdedicated to restoring our agencies to their tradition of upholding gold-standard, evidence-based science,\u201d said Andrew Nixon<\/a>, Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman.<\/p>\n The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which awarded the grants, is a division of HHS.<\/p>\n One canceled project out of Vanderbilt University had been tracking the health of more than 1,200 LGBTQ adults 50 and older.<\/p>\n Some of that work, which has already led to dozens of published papers — helped train doctors to better serve LGBTQ patients — improving cancer screening rates and preventive care.<\/p>\n \u201cThat saves us a lot of money in health care and saves lives,\u201d Tara McKay<\/a>, who leads Vanderbilt\u2019s LGBTQ+ Policy Lab, said.<\/p>\n Simon Rosser<\/a>, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, also lost funding. He studied cancer in gay and bisexual men.<\/p>\n \u201cWe now no longer have anywhere studying LGBT cancer in the United States,\u201d Rosser told The Associated Press<\/em>. \u201cWhen you decide to cancel all the grants on sexual minorities, you really slow down scientific discovery, for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a loss of a whole generation of science,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The cuts dovetail with executive orders signed in January by President Donald Trump, proclaiming that the federal government recognizes only two sexes \u2014 male and female.<\/p>\n Termination letters obtained by The Associated Press<\/em> said the canceled research was \u201cunscientific\u201d or didn\u2019t \u201cenhance the health of many Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n That language was hurtful, McKay said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy project\u2019s been accused of having no benefit to the American people. And, you know, queer and trans folks are Americans also,\u201d McKay concluded.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The University of Pittsburgh has more research on LGBTQ+ health<\/a>.<\/p>\n