Taxpayer-funded research into puberty blockers for transgender youth may have continued under false pretenses after the Trump administration cracked down on DEI-related grants, according to documents obtained by a California endocrinologist.
‘Whitewashed’ Study Objectives
Dr. Michael Laidlaw uncovered evidence that National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded researchers radically altered the stated objectives of a $725,000-per-year study after federal officials froze similar grants in 2025. The original 2021 grant application explicitly framed the research as addressing “health disparities for transgender youth” through brain scans comparing puberty-blocked adolescents with those undergoing natural development.
But by March 2025—months after the administration paused funding—researchers assured grant supervisors they could remove “all references to gender identity” and refocus analyses on “sex, sex hormones, and age.” Gender dysphoria suddenly became just one of several sample characteristics rather than the study’s central concern.
Funding Gap Raises Questions
NIH records show payments for 2022-2024 and 2026, but a conspicuous gap in 2025 when anti-DEI policies took effect. Laidlaw suggests the timing implies funding resumed only after what he describes as a “rainbow-scrubbed” revision eliminating mentions of transgender-specific organizations like WPATH and its treatment guidelines.
“What is not disputable,” Laidlaw told The Federalist, “is that the grantees submitted a progress report in 2025 with very significant changes to the study’s summary and aims.” The documents omit original language about establishing puberty blockers as mental health treatment for trans youth.
Potential Fraud Allegations
The alleged bait-and-switch could constitute fraud if investigators determine researchers intentionally misrepresented the study’s true focus to secure continued funding. Federal penalties for grant fraud range from funding suspensions to criminal charges.
Laidlaw argues the case demonstrates why all puberty blocker studies for gender dysphoria should be halted, calling the drugs harmful to healthy children. Meanwhile, the documents leave unanswered whether NIH administrators knowingly approved what critics call a politically motivated deception.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/11/03/pro-trans-doctors-lied-to-keep-federal-money-flowing-for-puberty-blockers/