When they silence our science: The LGBTQ+ research purge & why it matters

In a June 2025 op-ed for the Advocate, Dr. Laura Sinko, a sexual assault nurse and Our Wave's director of research and evaluation, writes about the sudden termination of her federally funded study on trauma recovery for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence. She argues that the study was cut because of who it aimed to help, not because of its scientific merit, and calls on readers to push back.

Why LGBTQ+ Survivors Need This Research

Dr. Sinko explains that LGBTQ+ people face higher rates of intimate partner and sexual violence, yet almost no research had focused on how they heal. She places her study within a wider wave of cancellations that, she writes, ended at least 68 grants across 46 institutions. To show the stakes, she describes a hypothetical nonbinary survivor who is misgendered at a shelter and never returns. She then imagines the same person welcomed by staff whose practice has been shaped by research like hers.

Three Harms of Cutting the Study

Dr. Sinko argues that ending this research hurts LGBTQ+ people in three ways:

• It reinforces barriers to care at the moment survivors need support most.

• It silences the participants who bravely shared their experiences to help others.

• It warns other researchers that studying LGBTQ+ health is politically risky.

Healing in Color and a Call to Action

Despite the setback, Dr. Sinko points readers to Our Wave's Healing in Color online exhibit. There, LGBTQ+ survivors who took part in her research share their healing journeys through photography, storytelling, and creative expression. She closes with practical steps: contact elected representatives about the terminated grants, and support groups that fund LGBTQ+ research when possible. She also encourages people to join research studies when it's safe, speak publicly about barriers in health care, and vote with community health in mind. Her message is that LGBTQ+ survivors' safety and recovery matter, and the science that supports them should not be silenced.

Read the full story in the Advocate.