The U.S. Department of Agriculture has pulled the plug on a $600,000 grant earmarked for an eyebrow-raising study on “menstrual cycles in transgender men,” as announced by Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday. The funding, originally awarded to Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College in Louisiana, was uncovered through a database on USAspending.gov, sparking questions about its relevance to the agency’s mission.
The grant’s description outlined a multi-faceted project involving research, education, and outreach, aimed at tackling “growing concerns” around menstruation. It highlighted potential health risks tied to synthetic feminine hygiene products and explored the use of natural materials, like hemp, as alternatives. The study also planned to provide menstrual hygiene management education for young women and girls. According to the proposal, “Menarche, the first occurrence of menstruation, occurs at approximately 12 years of age and ends with menopause at roughly 51 years of age. A woman will have a monthly menstrual cycle for about 40 years of her life, averaging about 450 periods over the course of her lifetime.” It further noted that “transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex, and non-binary persons may also menstruate,” adding that “at any given moment, about 26% of the world’s population is menstruating.”
The decision to cancel the grant came swiftly after its exposure by the American Principles Project (APP), a conservative group that recently compiled a database titled “Funding Insanity: Federal Spending on Gender Ideology under Biden-Harris.” The database revealed 341 federal grants totaling $128 million dedicated to gender ideology research, with this USDA project among them. APP’s spokesman, Paul Dupont, told The College Fix that such grants are merely “the tip of the iceberg.” He explained, “Our project looked only at grants and contracts that specifically pertained to gender ideology in some way. But there is far more spending out there relating to DEI, critical race theory, and other left-wing ideologies that we did not capture here.” Dupont emphasized the need for further scrutiny, suggesting that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has its work cut out for it in rooting out similar expenditures.
Secretary Rollins took to X to celebrate the move, declaring, “The insanity is ending and the restoration of America is underway,” alongside a heart emoji. The grant, which had been slated to run through April 2027, was axed amid growing calls to curb what critics see as frivolous federal spending. The decision marks a notable shift in priorities, raising broader questions about how taxpayer dollars are allocated under evolving administrative oversight.