A federal judge has officially struck down the Trump administration’s move to cancel federal health grants connected to LGBTQ issues and diversity programs, calling the decision discriminatory and baseless.
The controversy started when the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under Trump-era directives, pulled funding from public health research that focused on gender identity, LGBTQ communities, and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). The move triggered outrage from medical and civil rights organizations, including the American Public Health Association and the ACLU, who filed a lawsuit to reverse the decision.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge William Young ruled that the government had no valid reason for cutting those grants. The judge said the cancellations were politically driven and violated legal standards. He ordered that the grant money be restored and made available to researchers immediately.
Organizations involved in the lawsuit called the ruling a win for science and public health, saying the previous policy targeted vulnerable communities unfairly. The federal government is expected to appeal or try to pause the ruling, but for now, the decision marks a major pushback against political
