The grant, initiated during the Biden administration, provided funding to a University of Washington pediatrician for research involving telehealth, barriers to ‘care and support’ for transgender and gender-diverse minors.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The National Institutes of Health awarded nearly $430,000 to a University of Washington pediatrician to study access to ‘gender-affirming care’ among transgender and gender-diverse young people living in rural communities or identifying as black, indigenous or people of color, according to a Judicial Watch report.
The $428,296 award was initiated during the Biden administration, but federal spending records indicate that part of the funding was disbursed after President Donald Trump returned to office and directed agencies to stop using taxpayer money to promote gender ideology.
The NIH, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that distributes tens of billions of dollars in research grants annually, awarded the grant to Dr. Gina Sequeira, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and co-director of the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic.
The stated purpose of the project is to “advance health equity by increasing health services research involving transgender and gender diverse youth, youth who identify as black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC), and youth living in rural communities,” according to the federal grant announcement.
Government spending data show that $143,000 was disbursed during fiscal year 2025.
Trump issued an executive order on his 2025 inauguration day directing federal agencies to review grant policies and prevent public funds from supporting gender ideology.
“Federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology,” the order states. “Each agency shall assess grant conditions and grantee preferences and ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology.”
Judicial Watch questioned why money continued flowing to the project after the order took effect.
The NIH grant describes transgender and gender-diverse youth in rural communities and those identifying as BIPOC as populations facing increased mental health risks and reduced access to specialized pediatric services.
“Gender diverse youth (GDY) who identify as BIPOC, as well as those living in rural communities, are more likely to experience depression and anxiety than their peers,” the grant states. “Additionally, BIPOC and rural GDY are disproportionately underrepresented in pediatric gender clinics, limiting their access to pediatric gender-affirming care, which has been shown to improve mental health outcomes.”
Sequeira specializes in gender-affirming care for children and adolescents and has conducted research examining obstacles faced by transgender patients and their families.
She was featured in a lengthy 2022 article about harassment directed at physicians treating transgender youth. The article argued that “lifesaving care could be on the line” and stated that relatively few pediatricians in the United States provide such services.
Sequeira has said pediatricians should use routine well-child visits to “open a door to have a conversation with young people about how they see their gender”.
“My hope is one day we get to a place where every clinician, regardless of their specialty, has the basic knowledge and skills to be able to conduct a visit with a transgender patient without hesitation and without the patient being made to feel uncomfortable or disrespected because of their identity,” Sequeira said.
The NIH-funded project is intended to examine how specialists based at large academic medical centers can provide support to transgender and gender-diverse minors in rural areas and other communities where specialty clinics may not be readily available.
Sequeira is expected to build on her earlier research involving transgender youth and their families to identify barriers preventing rural and BIPOC patients from obtaining gender-affirming care.
The project also calls for designing and implementing telehealth-based access to those services.
Another component involves developing a technology-enhanced gender support platform intended to help community pediatricians provide more comprehensive care while consulting remotely with specialists.
“Given few providers have received training in this area and most lack opportunities to consult with transgender specialists, telehealth modalities like telemedicine and electronic consultation show great potential in facilitating the provision of community-based gender-affirming care,” the NIH grant announcement states.
The project now exists within a substantially different federal policy environment than when it was approved.
The Trump administration announced in March 2026 that it had formally ended what the White House described as the Democrats’ “Transgender for Everybody” policy agenda.
Under the administration’s policy, the federal government recognizes two immutable sexes, male and female.
The White House also said Trump prohibited federal funding, promotion or sponsorship of medical interventions for minors involving gender transition.
“President Trump banned federal funding, sponsorship, or promotion of the chemical and surgical mutilation of minors—protecting children from irreversible harm and directing agencies to defund institutions engaged in these practices,” the March White House statement said.
The information provided does not indicate whether the NIH has formally reviewed, suspended or canceled the remaining portion of Sequeira’s grant under the administration’s new directives.
It also does not specify whether future payments have been approved.
Judicial Watch argues that the project conflicts with Trump’s restrictions because its stated objectives include expanding access to gender-affirming care and creating technology to support its delivery to minors.
The grant records show, however, that the award originated before the current administration changed federal policy.
The dispute places the project at the center of a broader conflict over whether federal research agencies should continue funding studies related to gender-affirming care for children and adolescents after the president ordered agencies to eliminate financial support for programs promoting gender ideology.
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