At least eleven American states and two territories have complied with a directive from the Trump administration that mandated the removal of all references to gender identity, transgender, and non-binary individuals from a federally funded sex education initiative. This order, issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), threatened to withhold millions of dollars in funding from the $75 million Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) if states did not comply by the deadline. The majority of states that adopted this change are Republican-led, reflecting a strong alignment with the administration’s stance.
A Controversial Order and a Divided Nation
The administration’s instruction followed a “medical accuracy review” of sex education curricula across 46 states and territories. Officials stated they found content that fell “outside the scope” of PREP’s authorizing statute, a phrase widely interpreted to target material related to gender diversity and inclusion. This directive is part of a broader federal push to eliminate what officials term “gender ideology” from educational and health programs. Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families, publicly declared that “accountability is coming” and federal funds would not be used “to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas.”
While some states promptly altered or removed the controversial material, others initiated legal challenges. Sixteen states and Washington D.C., predominantly led by Democratic governors, sued the federal government. They argued that the directive exceeded executive authority and infringed upon Congress’s legislative mandate. In a significant development, a United States district judge in Oregon issued a temporary order preventing the HHS from cutting funding to these Democratic-led states that refused to comply. The judge noted that the department “failed to show that the new grant conditions are reasonable” and provided “no evidence” of properly considering relevant data or statutory objectives.
States Choosing Compliance
The states and territories that confirmed compliance with the directive include Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Additionally, the US Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, both American territories, also removed gender identity references from their curricula. Alabama and South Dakota stated that their programs never included the specific terminology flagged by the administration. Collectively, the regions that complied are home to over 120,000 transgender individuals aged 13 to 17, according to data from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Impact and Broader Consequences
This decision could have profound repercussions for vulnerable youth. Cindi Huss, who leads Rise, a Tennessee-based sex education organization, expressed concern that restricting gender identity discussions sends a harmful message to young people who already face societal stigma. She emphasized that when the government implies “there’s something wrong with you” and teachers are prevented from offering support, it severely impacts students’ mental health and sense of safety. Research from the Trevor Project, a suicide-prevention organization, highlights that nearly half of transgender and non-binary youth in the US seriously considered suicide in the past year. Access to inclusive education and robust support systems has been shown to reduce suicide attempt rates within these groups.
Federal Funding and Ongoing Legal Battles
California was an early opponent of the directive. After the state declined to modify its curriculum, the administration withdrew approximately $12 million in PREP funding. This effectively halted sex education initiatives across schools, juvenile detention centers, and group homes in the state. The California Department of Public Health is currently appealing this decision but has not yet secured replacement funding.
The Trump administration also issued similar guidance to two other federal sex education programs: the $50 million Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) initiative and the $101 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP). This guidance banned any content perceived to promote “gender ideology.” However, recent court rulings have temporarily blocked these changes from taking effect in states involved in the lawsuits. As these legal battles continue, the controversy highlights a growing ideological chasm regarding the role of gender identity in education. For now, the administration’s directive has created a clear divide, with some states prioritizing federal funding and others defending what they see as educational autonomy and inclusive practices.