Trump Admin Warns States: Remove Gender Ideology ‘Poison’ Or Lose Funding

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services directed 40 states, five territories, and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to eliminate gender ideology from their federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) within 60 days.

“Accountability is coming,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “Federal funds will not be used to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas. The Trump Administration will ensure that PREP reflects the intent of Congress, not the priorities of the left.”

The only states not listed as recipients of these letters were Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. The territories listed as recipients included Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Last week, ACF terminated California’s PREP grant after the state failed to meet its demand to remove gender ideology from its educational materials. States and territories receiving these new letters are now on notice: failure to comply will result in similar enforcement actions including the withholding, suspension, or termination of federal PREP funding,” HHS stated.

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New York would lose the most federal funding, more than $6 million. Pennsylvania would be next, at roughly $4.6 million. The complete list is here.

HHS published all the letters sent to each state here.

According to the letter sent to the state of New York, the state’s PREP curriculum includes statements such as these: “Gender identity is people’s inner understanding of what gender they identify with. It may be man, woman, something in between, or something that doesn’t fit these labels. It may be the same as (cisgender) or different from (transgender) the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender identity is unique for each person.”

The letter to Pennsylvania notes statements like these in their PREP curricula: “ … during the roleplay practice, participants may roleplay social pressure situations with someone of a different or the same gender. This may be awkward for straight teens who are sensitive to the suggestion of same-sex romance, for teens who identify as gay or lesbian, or for teens who are transgender or gender nonconforming. It is important to address this situation directly and proactively.”