UPDATE: RILA v The NEA
| 2025 Filed in: RILA v NEA
SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 — GOOD NEWS!
Thanks to RILA's legal challenge under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the court has struck down the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and their policy that enforced the “gender ideology” executive order.
Thanks to RILA's legal challenge under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the court has struck down the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and their policy that enforced the “gender ideology” executive order.
What does this mean?
Extra Protection for RILA and Partners
Why It Matters
OUR MANDATE:
We believe in the transformative power of the arts to reflect the truth of who we are and to open space for everyone to be seen, heard, and valued. Our programs—whether storytelling, public art, bilingual theater, or oral histories—are not created to meet a trend or political demand. They exist because the people who shape them are part of this country's cultural fabric, and always have been.
We welcome anyone who shares in this creative journey. We serve young people eager to connect with their roots, elders whose stories shape our history, and artists who seek meaning through expression. We do not label this commitment. We live it.
……………………
APRIL 3, 2025, PROVIDENCE, RI — A federal judge has denied a request for preliminary relief in our ACLU-led lawsuit challenging the National Endowment for the Arts’ funding restriction tied to “gender ideology.” Though the court agreed that barring NEA funding for projects that promote “gender ideology” would likely violate the First Amendment, they refused to expressly block the NEA from reimposing the restriction. It concluded that since the NEA is currently in the process of determining whether to reimpose that ban, the court could not get in the way of the agency’s decision making.
Marta V. Martinez, RILA's Executive Director reaffirms the organization's commitment to its mission by continuing to uplift silenced voices and honor the artist in full: "We shouldn’t need to negotiate for the right to support and uplift all artists — including transgender and nonbinary artists.
"This order fails to bring us the clarity we need to apply for funds for projects that allow Latinx artists, especially those who are queer, trans, or nonbinary, to show up as their whole selves without fear of erasure of censorship. Artistic freedom and equal dignity are fundamental to a just and vibrant society and despite today’s ruling, we will continue to create space for artists to tell their truths, challenge norms, and build bridges through their work.”
- The NEA can no longer reject or penalize any grant application simply because it includes content or expression that the government might label as “promoting gender ideology.”
- This is a nationwide win, not just for RILA—it applies to all applicants, now and going forward.
Extra Protection for RILA and Partners
- The court also barred the government from applying any similar future policy against RILA or other co-plaintiffs.
- While this doesn't change the current situation (since the old policy is now void), it provides added legal protection if a similar restriction is introduced again.
Why It Matters
- Artists and arts organizations can now freely express their identities through the work they create, without fear of losing federal arts funding.
- This ruling sets a powerful precedent for challenging future government overreach in the arts.
- This ruling includes and protects all art forms, including visual (painting), sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theater, music, dance, storytelling, and more!
- At Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA), we do not adapt our identity to meet the moment—we amplify it. Since 1988, we have remained committed to our mission: to promote, encourage, and preserve the art, history, heritage, and cultures of Latinos in Rhode Island. Our work is grounded in community and memory, and animated by creativity, civic participation, and intergenerational exchange.
OUR MANDATE:
We believe in the transformative power of the arts to reflect the truth of who we are and to open space for everyone to be seen, heard, and valued. Our programs—whether storytelling, public art, bilingual theater, or oral histories—are not created to meet a trend or political demand. They exist because the people who shape them are part of this country's cultural fabric, and always have been.
We welcome anyone who shares in this creative journey. We serve young people eager to connect with their roots, elders whose stories shape our history, and artists who seek meaning through expression. We do not label this commitment. We live it.
……………………
APRIL 3, 2025, PROVIDENCE, RI — A federal judge has denied a request for preliminary relief in our ACLU-led lawsuit challenging the National Endowment for the Arts’ funding restriction tied to “gender ideology.” Though the court agreed that barring NEA funding for projects that promote “gender ideology” would likely violate the First Amendment, they refused to expressly block the NEA from reimposing the restriction. It concluded that since the NEA is currently in the process of determining whether to reimpose that ban, the court could not get in the way of the agency’s decision making.
Marta V. Martinez, RILA's Executive Director reaffirms the organization's commitment to its mission by continuing to uplift silenced voices and honor the artist in full: "We shouldn’t need to negotiate for the right to support and uplift all artists — including transgender and nonbinary artists.
"This order fails to bring us the clarity we need to apply for funds for projects that allow Latinx artists, especially those who are queer, trans, or nonbinary, to show up as their whole selves without fear of erasure of censorship. Artistic freedom and equal dignity are fundamental to a just and vibrant society and despite today’s ruling, we will continue to create space for artists to tell their truths, challenge norms, and build bridges through their work.”
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