The Trump administration is facing a major lawsuit filed by two Harvard Medical School doctors, Dr. Gordon Schiff and Dr. Celeste Royce, who are challenging the government’s decision to remove their peer-reviewed medical research from a federal health website simply because it included references to transgender individuals and LGBTQ health risks.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, claims that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unlawfully censored scientific research for political reasons. The doctors argue that this censorship not only violates their First Amendment rights but also threatens patient safety by preventing medical professionals from accessing critical research on at-risk populations, including transgender individuals.
What’s at the Heart of This Lawsuit?
The controversy began when the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), an arm of HHS, removed multiple medical research articles from its Patient Safety Network (PSNet) website. These articles, which focused on patient safety and medical diagnosis improvements, contained terms like “LGBTQ” and “transgender.” AHRQ’s decision to censor these articles followed a directive from OPM, which ordered federal agencies to eliminate any content that “inculcates or promotes gender ideology.”
This directive stems from an executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” The order mandates that all government agencies remove any materials that recognize gender identities beyond the traditional male-female binary. As a result, federal agencies have been systematically erasing medical research that acknowledges transgender healthcare needs.
How This Affects the Transgender Community
The removal of these articles has profound implications for transgender individuals and their medical care. One of the censored articles, co-authored by Dr. Schiff, focused on suicide risk assessment. It included research-backed evidence showing that LGBTQ individuals, including transgender people, face a disproportionately high risk of suicide due to systemic discrimination, lack of access to gender-affirming healthcare, and social stigma.
Another censored article, authored by Dr. Royce, examined the challenges of diagnosing endometriosis in transgender and nonbinary individuals. The research emphasized that medical providers often fail to consider endometriosis in trans men and nonbinary individuals, leading to delayed or missed diagnoses. This censorship means that crucial information about these risks is now inaccessible to healthcare professionals, potentially putting more transgender individuals at risk of misdiagnosis and inadequate care.
Why This Lawsuit Matters
Dr. Schiff and Dr. Royce argue that the government’s decision to erase their research violates the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. By selectively removing articles that reference transgender individuals, the administration is imposing a viewpoint-based restriction on scientific discourse.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the censorship is arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which requires federal agencies to provide a reasonable justification for their actions. According to the doctors, there was no legitimate medical or scientific reason to remove the articles—only a political motive to suppress research that acknowledges the existence and healthcare needs of transgender individuals.
Beyond legal implications, this lawsuit is a stark reminder of the increasing challenges transgender individuals face in accessing competent and informed healthcare. The erasure of trans-inclusive medical research contributes to medical ignorance, reinforcing disparities that transgender people already endure in the healthcare system.
The Broader Impact on Medical Professionals
The lawsuit highlights a chilling effect on medical research. If the government is allowed to dictate what medical professionals can and cannot discuss, it could discourage doctors from publishing research on transgender healthcare, fearing censorship or professional repercussions. This not only stifles academic freedom but also hinders progress in medical science, ultimately harming patients.
Dr. Schiff and Dr. Royce have already faced professional setbacks due to the removal of their work from PSNet. Medical publications like PSNet are crucial resources for doctors, researchers, and policymakers working to improve patient safety. By stripping away their published research, the government is diminishing their professional standing and making it harder for them to contribute to life-saving medical advancements.
The Bottom Line
The doctors, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, are seeking a court order to restore their research to the PSNet database and to block further censorship of medical publications. If successful, this lawsuit could set a critical legal precedent protecting scientific research from political interference and ensuring that transgender-inclusive healthcare information remains accessible to the medical community.
For transgender individuals, allies, and medical professionals, this case is a crucial battleground in the fight for evidence-based, inclusive healthcare. At a time when transgender rights are under attack at multiple levels of government, defending the integrity of medical research is essential to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender identity, receive the care they deserve.
As the case progresses, it will be important for advocates, medical professionals, and the transgender community to remain vigilant and vocal. The right to access accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive healthcare information should not be a political bargaining chip—it is a fundamental human right.
