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At least eleven jurisdictions and two territories have agreed to a new directive from the Trump administration to remove references of gender identity and the existence of trans and non-binary people from a federal sexual health program, officials stated.

The administration set a Monday deadline for removing these references, threatening the withdrawal of substantial government funding. Nearly all of the agreeing jurisdictions have GOP-led state legislatures and mostly GOP state leaders.

Legal Challenges and Funding Conflicts

Sixteen other states and the nation's capital have initiated legal action challenging the government's requirement, claiming it infringes on legislative power, which established the $75m sex education program, known as the PREP initiative.

All jurisdictions participating in the lawsuit are led by Democrat state executives.

In a late Monday court order, a U.S. judge prevented the HHS agency, which manages the program, from withholding funding to the Democratic states if they do not adhere.

“The agency does not demonstrate that the new grant conditions are reasonable, let alone offer any reasonable explanation, other than pretext, for its actions,” stated Ann Aiken, a federal jurist in Oregon. “The department offers no proof that it made informed determinations or took into account the legal goals.”

Program Goals and Federal Review

The program seeks to educate adolescents on healthy relationships and how to prevent pregnancy and the transmission of STIs.

In April, the Trump administration demanded all jurisdictions obtaining program money to submit a copy of their educational materials to HHS and its subsidiary, the ACF office, for a health content assessment.

By late summer, the government sent letters to 46 states and territories, informing them that, during the evaluation, it had found “material in the curricula that fall outside the purview of Prep’s authorizing statute.”

In particular, the administration claimed it had identified evidence of “gender ideology,” a phrase often used by conservative factions to refer to the idea that identity is a fluid cultural concept and that transgender individuals exist.

Specific Examples of Requested Changes

The government instructed one state to remove a curriculum that stated: “Adolescents may express themselves in ways that differ from their assigned gender.”

It instructed North Carolina to eliminate a sentence from a educational module that read: “Individuals regardless of identity need to know how to prevent pregnancy and STDs.”

Moreover, health instructors in numerous states could no longer be told to “show tolerance and understanding for all participants, regardless of personal characteristics, including race, cultural background, faith, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity,” based on the notices dispatched to jurisdictions.

Official Statements and Jurisdictional Reactions

“Accountability is coming,” declared a federal official, interim leader of the Administration for Children and Families, in a announcement. “Federal funds will not be used to negatively influence of the youth or promote harmful political doctrines.”

Multiple states and regions stated they would remove the references or had completed the process. These consist of eleven specific states, as well as the two territories.

Another pair of jurisdictions, the states, reported their educational programs never included the terminology referenced in the administration’s letters.

Effects on Adolescents and Psychological Well-being

Collectively, these states are inhabited by over 120k trans people aged 13 to 17, based on projections from a research institute.

“If our goal is to help adolescents and give them a secure environment, I’m not sure why we are targeting the most vulnerable youth in the population,” commented an advocate, who leads Rise that offers health instruction in Tennessee.

“If authorities state that there’s something wrong with you and the teachers aren’t allowed to tell you things or they have to out you to your parents – when you know that that’s not secure – that’s horrible for mental health.”

Nearly half of trans and non-binary youth contemplated self-harm in the previous twelve months, based on a 2024 survey from a suicide-prevention group. School support for these youths is associated with lower rates of attempted suicide, the group discovered.

Previous Actions and Ongoing Disputes

Previously, the Trump administration ordered a state to cut references 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 termination. So far, it has been unsuccessful in replace the withdrawn money.

The government has additionally told instructors who obtain funding from additional national programs, the $50 million SRAE program and the $101m TPPP initiative, that they cannot teach about “gender-related concepts.”

An recent judicial ruling prevented the government from changing one program, while the Monday court order stops it from modifying SRAE in the Democratic states that sued over the initiative.

The Administration for Children and Families did not immediately respond to a request for comment.