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At least eleven jurisdictions and a pair of regions have complied with a recent directive from the Trump administration to remove references of gender identity and the presence of trans and non-binary people from a federal sexual health program, officials stated.

The government established a Monday deadline for removing these references, threatening the loss of substantial government funding. Almost every of the agreeing jurisdictions have Republican-controlled lawmaking bodies and predominantly Republican state leaders.

Court Battles and Funding Disputes

Sixteen other states and Washington DC have filed a lawsuit against the government's requirement, arguing it infringes on legislative power, which created the $75 million sex education program, known as the PREP initiative.

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

In a late Monday judicial ruling, a federal judge blocked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which manages the program, from withholding funding to the Democratic states if they do not adhere.

“HHS fails to show that the updated requirements are reasonable, let alone offer any valid reason, other than an excuse, for its actions,” stated Ann Aiken, a U.S. district judge in Oregon. “HHS provides no evidence that it made factual findings or considered the statutory objectives.”

Program Goals and Federal Review

The program seeks to inform teenagers on healthy relationships and how to avoid pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

In the spring, the federal government required all jurisdictions obtaining program money to submit a version of their educational materials to HHS and its subsidiary, the ACF office, for a “medical accuracy review”.

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

In particular, the administration said it had identified evidence of “gender ideology,” a phrase often used by rightwing groups to describe the notion that gender is a fluid social construct and that transgender individuals exist.

Notable Cases of Required Alterations

The government instructed Illinois to remove a curriculum that said: “Adolescents may identify in ways that don’t conform with their biological sex.”

It told another state to delete a line from a middle school lesson that stated: “Individuals regardless of identity need to know how to prevent pregnancy and STDs.”

Additionally, sex educators in many jurisdictions could no longer be instructed to “show tolerance and understanding for all students, regardless of personal characteristics, including race, cultural background, faith, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity,” based on the letters sent to jurisdictions.

Government Comments and State Responses

“Accountability is coming,” declared Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families, in a statement. “Federal funds will not be used to negatively influence of the youth or advance dangerous ideological agendas.”

Multiple jurisdictions and territories stated they would remove the references or had already done so. These consist of eleven specific states, as well as the two territories.

Two other states, the states, said their educational programs never included the language referenced in the administration’s letters.

Impact on Youth and Mental Health

Collectively, these jurisdictions are home to more than 120k trans people between the ages of 13 and 17, according to estimates from a university department.

“If our goal is to help adolescents and give them a safe space, I’m not sure why we are targeting the at-risk teenagers in the population,” commented Cindi Huss, who leads an organization that provides sex education in one state.

“When the government says that there’s something wrong with you and the teachers aren’t allowed to provide information or they have to out you to your parents – when you know that that’s not safe – that’s detrimental to psychological well-being.”

Almost 50% of transgender adolescents 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 self-harm attempts, the group discovered.

Earlier Incidents and Ongoing Disputes

Previously, the federal government ordered a state to cut mentions to gender identity from its educational program.

When the jurisdiction refused, the government revoked its funding, cutting about $12 million in federal funding and stopping sex education programs in schools, youth centers and care facilities.

The California health department is appealing the termination. So far, it has been unsuccessful in replace the lost funding.

The Trump administration has additionally told instructors who receive funding from additional national programs, the $50 million Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) and the $101m TPPP initiative, that they may not teach about “gender-related concepts.”

An recent court order blocked the government from altering TPPP, while the Monday court order prohibits it from modifying SRAE in the suing jurisdictions that challenged Prep.

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