Taxpayer Dollars from NIH Used to Create ‘Transgender Monkeys’ to Inject with mRNA Vaccines

A watchdog organization, the White Coat Waste Project (WCW), has raised concerns about taxpayer-funded scientific research involving hormone therapy in rhesus macaque monkeys. According to WCW, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the State of Florida have collectively spent millions of dollars on studies exploring the biological effects of feminizing hormone therapy, modeled on treatments used by transgender women.

The research, published in the journal Cell Reports in August 2025, involved administering estrogen to male rhesus macaques to study the immune and physiological responses to the hormone. The stated goal was to better understand how feminizing hormone therapy (FHT) may influence immune function—an area of interest for public health, particularly in the context of HIV/AIDS.

Researchers implanted twelve young male macaques with slow-release pellets containing either estrogen or a placebo. The study found that estrogen-treated monkeys developed physical changes typically associated with FHT, including nipple enlargement and changes in skin coloration and vascularization. To further examine the immune system’s response, researchers also administered mRNA-based vaccines to some of the animals.

One monkey experienced serious complications—scrotal swelling that did not respond to treatment—and was euthanized.

The study was funded by four NIH grants totaling over $22 million. These included:

U19AI149646 – $13.9 million awarded to Boston Children’s Hospital
R01HD103494 – $4 million to the University of Florida
R01HD102252 – $4.1 million to the University of Florida
R21AI157929 – $477,000 to the University of Florida (now expired), specifically for research on immune effects of FHT.

Additional financial support came from the State of Florida, through the HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute (HEIDI) at the University of Miami, funded by the Florida Department of Health.

Critics, including several Republican lawmakers, have condemned the experiments as unethical and unnecessary. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced the TRANS MICE Act (H.R. 4512) in July 2025, aimed at prohibiting federal funds from being used for research that involves altering the sex characteristics of animals for scientific modeling of gender transition.

The bill has been cosponsored by Representatives Paul Gosar, Brandon Gill, Lauren Boebert, and others. It follows comments from former President Donald Trump, who criticized such experiments during his 2025 State of the Union address. The Trump administration reportedly canceled at least ten NIH grants in response.

A group of House Republicans also sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, calling for a ban on similar research in the upcoming FY2026 federal budget. The letter referenced findings from WCW and additional reports that detailed various animal studies involving hormone treatments, some of which included invasive procedures and drug testing on hormone-treated animals.

The NIH has not yet publicly responded to the recent criticism, and several of the grants associated with this research remain active.

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