Brittany Charlton
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britshmit.bsky.social
Brittany Charlton
@britshmit.bsky.social
Epidemiologist 📊 • Associate Prof at Harvard Med School & School of Public Health • Founding Director LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence • Views=own• Mom of 3 kiddos • she/her + 🏳️‍🌈
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🚨 BREAKING: I'm suing #RFKJr @ #HHS & #JayBhattacharya @ #NIH

Canceling medical research grants threatens innovations benefiting ALL Americans, no matter your politics! 🇺🇸

Thanks to my lawyers @aclu.org @aclum.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org & @cspi.bsky.social

Long 🧵 on why I'm suing 👇

1/
Reposted by Brittany Charlton
Just in: NIH staff have been instructed to REINSTATE these ~900 grants to comply with the court order, per sources. This comes after staff were also directed to cease any further terminations.

You can see the lists grants to be reinstated in my post below.
The judge intends to limit his order to universities in the plaintiff states (CA, MD, WA, AZ, CO, DE, HI, MA, MN, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, WI), members of the plaintiff orgs (APHA, UAW), and the researchers named directly, he said today.

His written opinion will come in the coming days.
🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 4 months the NIH cut its first grants, a judge has ruled that the directives and process that led to cuts are arbitrary and capricious.

"The explanations are bereft of reasoning — virtually in their entirety... unsupported by [facts]."

Each of them are VOID and ILLEGAL, he says.
June 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
The sense of relief, vindication, & hope in the courtroom was undeniable—the emotion was so thick you could feel it in the air as justice & the value of our research were finally affirmed
🚨BREAKING: In a huge win for public health and democracy, a federal court ruled that the NIH’s ideological purge of life-saving research grants is unlawful.

Today, the rule of law prevailed — and science, once again, belongs to everyone.
June 16, 2025 at 9:31 PM
📢BREAKING: Just left the courthouse for our NIH grant termination case

Judge ruled terminations are “VOID & ILLEGAL”

As a plaintiff, I felt a wave of relief & hope; he acknowledged the discrimination & harm

Closed by asking, ‘Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?’
June 16, 2025 at 9:26 PM
⚖️Heartbroken but proud to stand with fellow researchers in court today⚖️

NIH’s sudden grant cuts:
🚫 Silence lifesaving health equity work
⏳ Undermine years of progress
⚠️ Put vital discoveries at risk

We won’t stop fighting for science & justice 🧪

👇More details from our @aclu.org representation👇
‘Devastated’ and ‘Hopeless.’ Researchers Speak Out on Funding Cuts | ACLU
www.aclu.org
May 22, 2025 at 11:43 AM
From our lawyers @protectdemocracy.org

"By excluding entire topics...the NIH divides & polarizes communities, undermines our shared sense of reality, & demonizes marginalized groups.

Challenging these actions is vital for science, for equality, & for democracy."

🤞 for tomorrow's hearing
Challenging politically-driven attacks on science and medical research - Protect Democracy
Protect Democracy is challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful termination of $400 million in federal funding.
protectdemocracy.org
May 22, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Heartbroken for my colleague @kgamarel.bsky.social

After decades of NIH support, HIV research network gets funding back—but Kristi's study on trans youth of color is singled out & cut

Essential research for most vulnerable—lost

🙏 Powerful reporting @stephaniemlee.bsky.social in @chronicle.com
An NIH Grant Is Restored, With a Catch: Cut a Study on Trans Youth
HIV scientists were given a choice: eliminate a study of transgender youth or lose a shot to recover a larger series of grants. They chose the former.
www.chronicle.com
May 22, 2025 at 3:20 AM
✊ How to challenge authoritarianism?

🔥 3 proven approaches

1️⃣ Mockery & salacious humor 🤡
2️⃣ Expose corruption, hypocrisy (& not just calling for ‘democracy’) 💸
3️⃣ Spotlight an individual tragedy (& not sea of oppression) 💔

🔗 👇 Nicholas Kristof @nytimes.com
Opinion | Three Well-Tested Ways to Undermine an Autocrat
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Sworn testimony & leaked emails: more proof DOGE is hand-picking which NIH grants live or die—screening awards, handing out kill lists, & canceling science in hours

🙌 Shout out to @maxkozlov.bsky.social at @nature.com for breaking the story (again), in part due to brave NIH insiders
NIH killed grants on orders from Elon Musk’s DOGE
Court documents and internal correspondence show the cost-cutting force has broad control over the world’s largest public biomedical funder.
www.nature.com
May 22, 2025 at 2:49 AM
🗣️ Tomorrow, our lawyers will ask the court for an injunction to halt the illegal cancellation of NIH research grants

They'll argue violations of the Administrative Procedure Act & Constitution

Meet the other plaintiffs & listen in on the hearing 👇🔬

#ProtectScience
The faces of the NIH cuts
What sort of research is being slashed?
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
May 21, 2025 at 9:19 PM
📌 THREAD: I’m taking Health & Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. to court ⚖️

Not for me — but to defend science 🧬, LGBTQ health 🏳️‍🌈 & the future of public research 🏥

Here’s why 🧵

🔗 Full story via my op-ed in @statnews.com

#DefendScience #LGBTQHealth #RFKJr #NIH #PublicHealth #AcademicFreedom
Science is under attack. So I’m taking RFK Jr. to court
“After losing every one of my grants — and seeing the human cost to my team, patients, and society — I knew silence was not an option,” writes Brittany Charlton.
www.statnews.com
May 16, 2025 at 4:51 PM
🎙️ "Science Under Siege" panel via @statnews.com — powerful & urgent

“Americans who deserve better — especially those who rely on government systems — will suffer and die because of what RFK Jr & his allies are doing.”

🎯 A few other standout remarks that hit hard👇🧵

#STATBreakthrough
May 14, 2025 at 11:30 PM
🗞️Grateful for the chance to clearly say in Sunday's @nytimes.com paper—

Ending medical research with LGBTQ people doesn’t just hurt our community; it endangers everyone🏳️‍🌈

“When the people around you are sick, it affects you — even if you think it doesn’t”

We're all connected. Always have been 💜
Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health
www.nytimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Brittany Charlton
With NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya dismissing my reporting as "false" and "spreading rumors" hours before releasing a policy that confirmed said "rumors," I feel compelled to respond.

Here's an inside look into how this story was reported. It was a weird one. 🧵

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
May 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
After 35+ years, the National Cancer Institute seems to be ending its Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program

If my sources are correct, this is a loss for cancer prevention—a field that saves lives before treatment is ever needed 🛡️💔

And also, it's a pipeline of future leaders—gone

1/🧵
May 9, 2025 at 1:38 AM
⚖️⚖️ Hearing just ended in Massachusetts v. RFK Jr. about the legality of NIH grant terminations ⚖️⚖️

Court is weighing jurisdiction — meanwhile, judge asked AGs for a list of affected grants & the government for its definition of DEI 👀

These requests are a big deal. Here’s why 🧵
May 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
📄 Just published: Our team's latest research shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to have an abortion compared to their heterosexual peers

#episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ #queersky #publichealth
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence (@lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social)
📣Abortion is an LGBTQ+ issue. In our latest research pub: LGB+ people are more likely to use abortion compared to their heterosexual peers. 📄@jama.com OPEN #episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ…
bsky.app
May 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
📄 Just published: Our team's latest research shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to have an abortion compared to their heterosexual peers

#episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ #queersky #publichealth
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence (@lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social)
📣Abortion is an LGBTQ+ issue. In our latest research pub: LGB+ people are more likely to use abortion compared to their heterosexual peers. 📄@jama.com OPEN #episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ…
bsky.app
May 8, 2025 at 12:55 PM
📄 Just published: Our team's latest research shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to have an abortion compared to their heterosexual peers

#episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ #queersky #publichealth
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence (@lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social)
📣Abortion is an LGBTQ+ issue. In our latest research pub: LGB+ people are more likely to use abortion compared to their heterosexual peers. 📄@jama.com OPEN #episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ…
bsky.app
May 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
📄 Just published: Our team's latest research shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to have an abortion compared to their heterosexual peers

#episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ #queersky #publichealth
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence (@lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social)
📣Abortion is an LGBTQ+ issue. In our latest research pub: LGB+ people are more likely to use abortion compared to their heterosexual peers. 📄@jama.com OPEN #episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ…
bsky.app
May 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
📄 Just published: Our team's latest research shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to have an abortion compared to their heterosexual peers

#episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ #queersky #publichealth
LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence (@lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social)
📣Abortion is an LGBTQ+ issue. In our latest research pub: LGB+ people are more likely to use abortion compared to their heterosexual peers. 📄@jama.com OPEN #episky #reprosky #medsky #LGBTQ…
bsky.app
May 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
🙌 CHEERS to brave whistleblowers!

They’ve confirmed how we were unjustly targeted for NIH grant terminations. But it gets worse...

💥 Newly leaked docs EXPOSE how this administration is violating court orders — and trying to cover it up.

#Whistleblower #NIH #Accountability
Trump’s NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show
A lawsuit led by the Washington state attorney general offers an unprecedented view of the termination of more than 600 NIH grants, including transgender research grants threatened by Trump’s executiv...
www.propublica.org
May 8, 2025 at 12:27 PM
As I said to @forbes.com, "Science should not be subject to political whims and having certain topics fall into disfavor is a violation of both congressional mandates and the NIH’s own strategic plan.”

🔗 Full article👉 hsph.me/lgbtq-press-...
May 7, 2025 at 4:08 PM
📣 NIH reinstating some terminated grants

Exclusive via @chronicle.com 🔗👇 confirms what we’ve seen for weeks

Piece asks: what’s “secret sauce”? As an early-impacted PI, I know strategy matters

Now I'm advising orgs on appeals, “orderly” closeout & reinstatements: brittanycharlton.com/consulting
Consulting — Brittany Charlton
www.brittanycharlton.com
April 30, 2025 at 5:05 AM
⛔ NIH ended ALL of my grants mid-project, given LGBTQ health focus 🏳️‍🌈

⚖️ So what am I doing? Suing RFK, Jr.

As one team member shared in this story👇: "The threats to our work don’t just make me fear for my career — they make me fear for my safety.“

#SaveDemocracy #SupportScience #PublicHealth
Harvard Medical researcher sues NIH for cutting grant to study LGBTQ mental health
"This is not just an attack on the LGBTQ community — it is a blow to the integrity of science and the health of every American," a Harvard Medical School associate professor studying the mental…
www.masslive.com
April 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM