Federal Judge Strikes Down NEA Grant Restrictions on 'Gender Ideology'

A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled against the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) policy that disfavored grant applications promoting what the Trump administration defined as "gender ideology," deeming it a violation of the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act. The policy, implemented following President Donald Trump's executive order, barred federal funds from supporting projects that challenge traditional gender binaries, but the court found this to be a viewpoint-based restriction on private speech. Judge William E. Smith emphasized that the NEA’s policy offered no clear explanation of what constitutes "promoting gender ideology" or how it relates to artistic merit, and concluded that such discrimination against certain artistic expressions is unconstitutional. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by four arts organizations including Rhode Island Latino Arts, National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive, and Theatre Communications Group. The decision was celebrated by plaintiffs and advocates as a significant victory for free speech and artistic freedom, affirming that the NEA can no longer penalize artists based on their viewpoints about gender. This legal defeat represents a major setback for President Trump's initiative to restrict arts funding based on ideological grounds.