Fact check: US sending taxpayer money for transgender rats

1. Summary of the results

The original statement oversimplifies complex medical research. While it's true that the National Institutes of Health spent approximately $8.29 million on studies involving animal research related to transgender health ^[1], these studies were not literally about "making rats transgender." The research primarily focused on understanding the health impacts of gender-affirming treatments and included studies on breast cancer risks and hormone therapy effects ^[2]. The exact spending amount varies between sources, with some citing $8 million ^[1] and others suggesting up to $10 million ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits several crucial pieces of context:

• The research was part of broader medical studies, including HIV vaccine trials and other health-related research ^[4]
• Specific studies included:

Research on female rats receiving testosterone therapy

Experiments on male monkeys receiving hormone therapy ^[3]

• Studies about potential breast cancer risks in transgender individuals ^[2]
• There's an important distinction between "transgender" and "transgenic" mice in research contexts ^[5]
• The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has since announced the cancellation of some of these grants ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several entities have specific interests in how this research is portrayed:

• The White Coat Waste Project, which originated the claim, deliberately mischaracterized the research to promote an anti-animal testing agenda ^[4]
• Political figures like Trump used the oversimplified "making mice transgender" narrative for political messaging ^[2]
• Media outlets have struggled with how to characterize the research, with CNN revising their fact-check from "false" to "needs context" ^[6]
• Representative Nancy Mace amplified the White Coat Waste Project's findings ^[3]

The original statement's framing serves political narratives rather than accurately representing the scientific research's purpose and scope. While government funds were indeed used for animal research related to transgender health, characterizing it as "making transgender rats" misrepresents the actual medical research objectives.