🔗 Share this article Trump Administration Insists Removal of Gender Identity Issues from Sexual Health Curricula, Several States Agree No fewer than eleven jurisdictions and a pair of regions have complied with a new directive from the federal government to eliminate references of transgender issues and the existence of transgender and non-binary individuals from a federal sexual health program, officials stated. The administration set a recent cutoff for removing these mentions, warning the loss of substantial government funding. Almost every of the complying states have GOP-led lawmaking bodies and predominantly Republican governors. Legal Challenges and Funding Disputes Sixteen other states and the nation's capital have initiated legal action against the government's requirement, claiming it infringes on legislative power, which established the $75m sexual health initiative, known as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (Prep). All states participating in the lawsuit are governed by Democratic governors. In a recent judicial ruling, a U.S. judge blocked the HHS agency, which oversees Prep, from cutting funding to the suing jurisdictions if they refuse to comply. “HHS fails to show that the updated requirements are reasonable, let alone offer any valid reason, other than an excuse, for its actions,” wrote the judge, a U.S. district judge in Oregon. “The department offers no proof that it made factual findings or took into account the statutory objectives.” Initiative Aims and Federal Review The program seeks to educate teenagers on positive interactions and how to avoid unplanned parenthood and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. In April, the Trump administration demanded all jurisdictions obtaining program money to submit a copy of their educational materials to the department and its agency, the Administration for Children and Families, for a health content assessment. Four months later, the administration sent letters to 46 states and territories, informing them that, during the review, it had discovered “content in the curricula that deviate from the purview of Prep’s authorizing statute.” In particular, the administration said it had uncovered evidence of “gender ideology,” a phrase often used by conservative groups to describe the notion that identity is a fluid cultural concept and that transgender individuals are real. Specific Examples of Requested Changes The administration directed one state to remove a lesson that said: “Adolescents may express themselves in ways that don’t conform with their assigned gender.” It told North Carolina to eliminate a sentence from a educational module that stated: “Individuals regardless of identity need to know how to prevent pregnancy and STDs.” Moreover, health instructors in numerous states could no longer be instructed to “show tolerance and understanding for all students, irrespective of individual traits, including race, heritage, religion, social class, orientation or identity,” according to the notices dispatched to states. Government Comments and Jurisdictional Reactions “Oversight is imminent,” said Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary of the ACF office, in a announcement. “Government money will not be used to poison the minds of the youth or advance dangerous ideological agendas.” Multiple states and territories confirmed they would remove the content or had already done so. These consist of eleven specific states, as well as the two territories. Two other states, the states, reported their Prep curricula never included the terminology referenced in the government's notices. Impact on Youth and Mental Health Together, these jurisdictions are home to more than 120,000 transgender individuals aged 13 to 17, based on projections from a research institute. “If our goal is to support youth and give them a safe space, I’m not sure why we are targeting the at-risk teenagers in the community,” commented Cindi Huss, who leads an organization that provides sex education in one state. “If authorities state that there’s something incorrect about you and the teachers aren’t allowed to tell you things or they have to disclose your identity to family – when you know that that’s not safe – that’s horrible for mental health.” Nearly half of trans and non-binary youth contemplated self-harm in the past year, according to a 2024 survey from a suicide-prevention group. Educational backing for these youths is associated with lower rates of attempted suicide, the organization found. Previous Actions and Ongoing Disputes Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered California to cut mentions to transgender topics from its educational program. When the Democratic-led state refused, the administration revoked its funding, cutting approximately $12m in government money and halting sex education programs in educational institutions, juvenile detention facilities and group homes for foster children. The California health department is appealing the withdrawal. To date, it has been unable to replace the lost funding. The Trump administration has also informed instructors who receive funding from two other federal sex education initiatives, the $50m SRAE program and the $101m Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP), that they cannot teach about “gender-related concepts.” An recent court order prevented the administration from changing TPPP, while the Monday court order prohibits it from changing the other program in the suing jurisdictions that sued over the initiative. The ACF office did not immediately respond to a inquiry.