Schiff & Royce v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management et al.

Along with the National ACLU and ACLU of Massachusetts, the MFIA clinic represents two Harvard Medical School doctors in a First Amendment challenge to the Trump Administration’s removal of their expert commentary from a federally-funded patient safety website.

Dr. Gordon Schiff, M.D., and Dr. Celeste Royce, M.D., published peer-reviewed commentary on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (“AHRQ”) Patient Safety Net (“PSNet”). Dr. Schiff’s commentary offers advice to doctors about how to assess patients at high risk of suicide, noting that “[h]igh risk groups include male sex, being young, veterans, Indigenous tribes, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ).” Dr. Royce’s commentary offers advice to doctors on how to diagnosis cases of endometriosis—a painful a condition where cells similar to the lining of the uterus grow outside the uterus, noting that “endometriosis can occur in trans and non-gender-conforming people.”

After President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, he signed an executive order ordering agencies to take down all outward facing media that promote or inculcate "gender ideology.” The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued implementing guidance, under which the AHRQ staff removed from PSNet Dr. Schiff’s commentary, Dr. Royce’s commentary, and other articles that mention a list of forbidden terms, including “transgender” AND “LGBTQ.”   

The Clinic and co-counsel have filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeking a declaration that the government’s actions violate the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act and an injunction ordering AHRQ to restore the articles removed pursuant to the gender ideology executive order and implementing guidance.

Harvard doctors sue over Trump removal of articles mentioning LGBTQ health issues¹ (Reuters)

‘Unlawful and dangerous suppression:’ Harvard researchers sue Trump administration for erasing their work² (Boston Globe)

Doctors sue Trump to reinstate research that mentions transgender or LGBTQ+ people³ (WBUR)

Harvard Medical physicians sue over removal of articles mentioning ‘LGBTQ’ from government website⁴ (STAT News)

Harvard Medical School doctors sue Trump administration to restore censored articles⁵ (GBH)

Harvard doctors sue Trump admin for removing LGBTQ+ health research⁶ (MassLive)

Complaint filed 3/12/25⁷