Civil Rights Complaint Targets University of Maryland's NIH-Funded 'Lavender Lab' Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
The Equal Protection Project has filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services against the University of Maryland's Lavender Lab, which receives millions in NIH funding. The complaint alleges that the lab's intersectionality-based programs may discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin, violating Title VI and other federal laws. The group argues that such identity-focused research should not receive federal support.
The Equal Protection Project has built a substantial enforcement record, having filed more than 115 civil rights complaints against over 290 institutions covering more than 850 programs and scholarships, with over 340 reported impacts. While most of its complaints have gone to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, this filing with HHS reflects the group's expanding activity across federal agencies including HUD, DOJ, and now Health and Human Services.
The Lavender Lab's NIH-funded research examines suicide, substance use, and health outcomes among LGBTQ+ individuals and BIPOC populations. The complaint draws a distinction between studying these groups—which it explicitly does not challenge as a policy matter—and the lab's operational practices, including recruitment and participation opportunities that may incorporate race and ethnicity in ways the group considers discriminatory under federal civil rights statutes.
This complaint could influence how federal agencies evaluate research funding tied to identity-based frameworks. If HHS investigates, other universities with similar intersectionality-focused programs may face heightened scrutiny, potentially reshaping grant compliance standards. Researchers studying minority health disparities could see funding conditions tighten, while advocacy groups on both sides may use the outcome to advance broader debates about diversity initiatives in federally supported institutions.