iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

⛔ Last year, this administration shut down work on topics they didn't like, including our LGBTQ health research. We sued. Courts restored thousands of grants. 📜 Now the Office of Management and Budget wants to reverse that, for good. 🔒 👇👇Here's what you have to do before Monday to stop it. 👇👇🧵

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

📢 Hiring: Postdoctoral Fellow in LGBTQ Reproductive Health Disparities at Harvard Medical School 🌈🧬 Focus on rigorous epi methods + big data (longitudinal cohorts, EMR, claims) 📊 Ideal for epi/biostats folks who want rich cross-Harvard collaborations Details👇 Please boost + tag! 📣

brittanycharlton.com

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Some big movement in our NIH lawsuit ⚖️🧬 ⚠️ Our case challenges new rules that cut grants on LGBTQ health, racism, climate change, vaccines, and other health equity topics

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Reposted by Brittany Charlton

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

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.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

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

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

📢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?’

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

⚖️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👇

aclu.org

‘Devastated’ and ‘Hopeless.’ Researchers Speak Out on Funding Cuts | ACLU

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

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

protectdemocracy.org

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.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

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

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.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

✊ 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

nytimes.com

Opinion | Three Well-Tested Ways to Undermine an Autocrat

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

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

nature.com

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.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

🗣️ 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

ifyoucankeepit.org

The faces of the NIH cuts

What sort of research is being slashed?

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

📌 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

statnews.com

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.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

🎙️ "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

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

🗞️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 💜

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health

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Reposted by Brittany Charlton

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

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...

On a Nature news article reporting that NIH planned to suspend subawards for foreign collaborations:
“No, that’s false. There’s going to be a policy on tracking subawards. The NIH and the government should be able to see where the money’s going.”

“I’m really uncomfortable with this conversation, because you’re like, actually spreading rumors that you don’t know anything about. … Nature also is spreading rumors. Halt foreign collaborations, that’s not true.”

“We’re working on the policy, Jocelyn. You shouldn’t be reporting rumors. I know there’s leaks all over here, but the leaks don’t actually reflect what’s happening. Don’t write about rumors. It actually makes the things that you and I care about worse. Like it spreads panic.”

Later that day, NIH released a policy that halted future subawards to foreign scientists and said they will need to apply directly for money under a system still in development.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

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/🧵

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

⚖️⚖️ 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 🧵

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

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-...

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

📣 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

brittanycharlton.com

Consulting — Brittany Charlton

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

⛔ 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

masslive.com

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…

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Atmosphere on campuses across the U.S. is bleak — canceled travel, encrypted communication & further layoffs 🎓 As I said to NBC News, “Our funding could come back. But even if it does, irreparable harm has been done.” ⚠️ @nbcnews.com @tktk.bsky.social #HigherEd #CampusCrisis #AcademicFreedom

nbcnews.com

Harvard students and faculty face the fallout from a showdown with Trump

Many describe a changed campus, one where the “best and brightest” may no longer feel welcome.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

🚨Breaking: Filed declaration in my lawsuit against #RFKJr @ #HHS & #JayBhattacharya @ #NIH I refuse to be silent—silencing science endangers everyone Full declaration: hsph.me/lgbtq-declaration ⬇️ Highlights in🧵 ⬇️ 🙏🏻 @aclu.org @protectdemocracy.org @aclum.bsky.social @cspinet.org #AntiFascist

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

📉 Why did NSF Director *just* resign? Grant cuts+budget slashed+more. We’re tracking damage—one grant at a time: first NIH, now NSF. 👀 Thanks @nytimes.com spotlight & @noamross.net s.net + @scott-delaney.bsky.social for expanding tracker. We didn’t want to build this. But we won’t look away.

nytimes.com

Trump vs. Science

We explain the administration’s cuts to research.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

🎥 Just dropped: “Science Is at a Crossroads” 📉 At last night's @bostonglobe.com event, I spoke about how science is shrinking—budget cuts, layoffs, rising disparities. , 🎓 Science must be funded. Science must be inclusive. 👇👇Watch + share if you stand for truth, not political agendas. 🔬❤️

youtube.com

Science At A Crossroads: What's At Stake?

YouTube video by The Boston Globe

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

🧬 Reminder: Science is at a crossroads Mass layoffs. Funding cuts. Uncertainty for vulnerable communities. Join our panel & reception by @bostonglobe.com 📍Tonight @6pm | Boston & Online 👇Register; thanks @fenwayhealth.bsky.social for space #Science #Research #Fact #LGBTQHealth #Gay

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

🧬 Science is at a crossroads Join us for a vital panel hosted by @bostonglobe.com Federal science agencies face mass layoffs, & major institutions are losing key funding Where does science go now? Let’s talk about it. 📍April 22 | Boston & Online Register 🔗 scienceatacrossroads.splashthat.com

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

🚨 Proud to stand for science & truth — & proud to be suing the NIH. We’re resisting government overreach that prioritizes politics over health & keeps Americans from the facts. Thanks to powerhouse lawyers representing me: @protectdemocracy.org & @aclu.org Help us #KillTheCuts & #SaveOurScience ⬇️

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

🧵 Just spoke on @npr.org about a major red flag in LGBTQ health research—and it’s getting little mainstream coverage 👇🎧Listen to the radio interview and note TV's still quiet (👀 👋 @maddow.msnbc.com let’s fix that?) Here’s what’s happening, and why it should scare us all 🧵

npr.org

White House orders NIH to research trans 'regret' and 'detransition'

The new research will study the physical and mental health effects of gender transition. It comes on the heels of the administration cutting hundreds of research grants for LGBTQ+ health.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

📢 Update!📢 I'm sharing my recent op-ed in @thehill.com, a platform I chose to reach policymakers, judges, & key decision-makers 🌟 I explain the reasons behind my lawsuit against #RFKJr at #HHS for the reckless &—I believe—illegal terminations of #NIH research contracts 🔗 👇 1/

thehill.com

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Per usual @maxkozlov.bsky.social of @nature.com is breaking the latest news, this gives me such hope…

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

🚨 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/

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

🔍💔 Take a look at @bostonglobe.com spotlight on our Center's funding cuts Ironically, went online Wed during @hsph.harvard.edu's media retreat session & printed in Sun paper Props to @rickberke.bsky.social for nudge to share, but (for once) I was step ahead 👉 hsph.me/lgbtq-Globe-... #MedSky

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

✨Yesterday's sweeping layoffs at #CDC, #NIH, & #FDA were devastating Yet, amidst chaos, I found hope: winning my first local election. 🎉🗳️ Queer representation matters 🌈 Hope elections (& courts!) are bulwarks against autocracy. May they protect our freedoms & democracy 💪❤️ #Resist #Science

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Bostonians: Polls close in 4 hours! 🗳️ Your vote shapes our community's future. I'm running for Town Meeting because I believe in grassroots change and our community's potential. Your vote shapes our local community & amplifies our call for change. Let's make a difference together! 🌟 #MassPoli

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

🧬 Key scientific leaders are being removed! 🧬 NIH directors—known for their expertise and institutional knowledge—are being ousted Result? ✅Undermines public health ✅Erodes scientific integrity ✅Risks unchecked actions A short 🧵 1/ #NIH #CDC #FDA #AcademicSky #MedSky #Science

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

🚨 Scientists: If your NIH grant was terminated like all of mine, help us uncover why 👇👇👇 We've been monitoring terminations from the start & are now diving into the data 🔍 Your research is crucial for health & a thriving democracy! ✊ #HealthEquity #MedSky #PublicHealth #NIH #Autocracy #Democracy

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Young journalists leading way 📝✨ I told @harvard.edu student paper, our terminated NIH research is “vital for assessing the real-world implications of policies that disproportionately affect the LGBTQ community." 🏳️‍🌈 We must save this generation of scientists! 🧬🔬 #commsopen #LGBTQIA #AcademicSky

thecrimson.com

As Trump Slashes Federal Grants, the Harvard School of Public Health Has the Most To Lose | News | The Harvard Crimson

As President Donald Trump escalates his attacks on universities’ access to federal research funding, the Harvard School of Public Health has felt the pain especially acutely.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

🚀 Big reveal! Introducing our interactive table on NIH grant terminations, supercharged from the original Google tracker! 📊👇 Help us uncover which NIH grants are tagged for termination and why! 🕵️🔍 1 / 🧵 #HealthEquity #MedSky #PublicHealth

airtable.com

Airtable | Everyone's app platform

Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Debuting an interactive table of NIH grant terminations based on our original Google tracker + more 📊 Dive in to explore and add more terminations to the tracker👇

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

🚨 ALL my remaining NIH grants were just terminated Without philanthropic gifts, this is the end of 1️⃣ my career (as I know it) 2️⃣ @lgbtqhealthexce.bsky.social 3️⃣ our LGBTQ health equity work Yet, reading about LGBTQ families in my kid's class reminded me: love knows no bounds 🌈 You with us?

Mother and daughter smiling while holding a book titled "Sam is my Sister"

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

We've been tracking unlawful NIH grant terminations for 3 weeks. Spread the word👇! Fellow PIs: what can you do upon termination? ✅ Email PO + document questions ✅ Submit FOIA ✅ Advocate to your OCG/OSP for appeal + litigation ✅ Consider outside litigation ✅ Donate to state AGs + legal orgs 1/🧵

docs.google.com

Cancelled NIH grant information submission form

Please use this form to submit information identifying specific NIH grants that have been cancelled for any reason after January 20, 2025. Data from this form will be used to update the Rescinded NIH...

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