As schools across America prepare lesson plans for the new academic year, the Trump administration has delivered an ultimatum: Erase references to transgender people from federally funded sex education, or lose millions in federal dollars. The directive marks one of the administration’s most aggressive attempts yet to reshape how states teach students about gender, identity, and health.
A sweeping order to states and territories
On Tuesday, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, sent letters to 40 states, five U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C. demanding the removal of what it called “gender ideology” from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). PREP, created in 2010, funds teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention efforts.“Accountability is coming,” acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison declared. “Federal funds will not be used to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas.”The warning carries real financial weight: New York risks losing more than $6 million, while other states and territories face cuts ranging from $300,000 to $4.6 million if they do not comply.
What is being targeted
The ACF’s letter to New York, one of 46 sent nationwide, lays out examples of content flagged for removal:
- Definitions of gender identity and gender expression.
- Directives that facilitators allow students to share pronouns.
- Instructions to demonstrate respect for participants regardless of race, religion, social class, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Officials framed these elements as straying from Congress’s original intent for PREP. But public health experts counter that they are medically accurate and critical to inclusive education.
States push back
Not all states are staying quiet.
- New York’s Department of Health said it is reviewing the letter but reaffirmed its mission to promote “health equity” under Governor Kathy Hochul.
- Oregon Health Authority pledged to assess the federal action but stressed its commitment to ensuring residents can access needed services.
- California became the first state to face direct penalties when ACF terminated its remaining $12 million in PREP funds last week after the state refused to strip trans-inclusive content. California officials argue the curriculum is comprehensive, age-appropriate, and backed by data showing it reduces unintended pregnancies and infections.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office framed the move bluntly: “If it’s a day ending in y, President Trump is attacking kids’ safety, health, and access to education as part of his culture war.”
A broader campaign against recognition
The letters are part of a larger pattern of federal actions narrowing legal recognition of transgender people. In his first months back in office, President Trump has:
- Declared via executive order that there are only two unchangeable sexes.
- Barred transgender people from enlisting or serving in the military.
- Banned transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams in federally funded schools and colleges.
- Blocked federal funds for hospitals providing transition-related care to minors.
These moves have already had ripple effects: More than 20 hospitals have rolled back or ended gender-affirming care programs for young people, and federal websites, including the page for the Stonewall National Monument, have scrubbed mentions of transgender and intersex communities.
What comes next
California has 30 days to appeal its funding termination. Other states and territories now face similar choices: Comply with the directive, risk millions in federal cuts, or mount legal challenges.For critics, the purge of transgender references from sex education is not about medical accuracy but about erasing recognition. For the administration, it is about reasserting federal control over what young Americans are taught about gender.Either way, the fight over PREP is quickly becoming a test case for how far Washington can go in reshaping classrooms, and whose identities are deemed legitimate in the process.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.
