A research lab at the University of Maryland is under fire. It received nearly $700,000 in extra federal funding this year. The money came from the Trump administration. Yet the lab now faces a civil rights complaint. The Equal Protection Project filed the claim. They say the lab uses race to decide who gets opportunities. This happens while the lab counts taxpayer dollars.
The complaint targets the Lavender Lab. It studies health issues in LGBTQ+ people. It also focuses on Black and Indigenous communities. The lab gets millions from the National Institutes of Health. One major project started in May 2022. It runs until April 2027. Federal records show about $3.6 million is tied up. Roughly $2.2 million has already been spent. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism added another $695,192 for 2026.
The Equal Protection Project points to two main issues. First is the Teens of Color Advisory Board. The lab asked for teens who are both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC. Board members get paid to review research. They also get leadership chances. Second is the hiring of research assistants. These are mostly unpaid student roles. Some get course credit or work-study funds.
The lab encourages applicants from marginalized backgrounds. It says experience with these communities gets strong consideration. William Jacobson found this troubling. He is the founder of the Equal Protection Project. He told Fox News that federal funding comes with rules. You cannot discriminate in how you run programs. He said race should not determine who gets picked.
Jacobson argued that the lab does not need a specific board. It does not need to hire based on race. The goal is to study specific health outcomes. That goal can be met without breaking the law. He noted that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act bans this. The Affordable Care Act also has strict rules. The Department of Health and Human Services enforces them.
The complaint questions the funding model itself. The lab uses a concept called intersectionality. It looks at how race and status combine. Jacobson calls this a race-focused identity approach. He worries it crosses a legal line. He said treating people as group avatars is unfair. It ignores their individual merits.
Jacobson claims this is not an isolated case. He says hundreds of millions of dollars fund such programs. He wants the White House to act. He is asking for a new executive order. It would close what he calls the intersectionality loophole. This would ban such practices in federal grants. The University of Maryland has not commented. The Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing the claim.