The Trump administration escalated its campaign against transgender recognition this week, ordering 40 states, five U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., to strip all references to transgender people from their sex education programs or lose millions in federal funding.
In a sweeping action announced Tuesday, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, sent letters directing health departments to remove what it called “gender ideology” from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). PREP, created in 2010, is a federally funded initiative designed to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
“Accountability is coming,” acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison said in a statement. “Federal funds will not be used to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas.”
The letters demand that states remove definitions of gender identity and gender expression, eliminate inclusive directives such as allowing students to share pronouns, and delete instructions to demonstrate respect for all participants regardless of identity. Failure to comply could result in the loss of $300,000 to $6 million per state, depending on PREP allocations.
The 40 states targeted range from Alabama and Arizona to New York and Washington. The territories include Guam, Puerto Rico, Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The move follows last week’s termination of California’s PREP funding, nearly $12 million, after state officials refused to strip trans-inclusive content. California’s Department of Public Health said its curriculum was medically accurate, comprehensive, and consistent with statutory requirements, and argued that ACF has no authority to enforce such a change. The state has 30 days to appeal.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blasted the decision. “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,” spokesperson Elana Ross said.
Advocates warn that removing transgender representation from sex education will leave students without the tools to understand themselves or support their peers. Studies consistently show that inclusive curricula improve student well-being, reduce bullying, and promote healthier relationships.
This directive is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to roll back transgender rights. Since returning to office, Trump has issued executive orders banning transgender people from military service, prohibiting trans girls from competing on girls’ sports teams in federally funded schools, and cutting federal funds to hospitals providing transition-related care to minors. More than 20 hospitals have scaled back or ended gender-affirming programs in recent months under federal pressure.
Even cultural touchstones have not been spared. Federal officials have quietly removed references to trans and intersex people from agency websites, including the page for the Stonewall National Monument.
For many in the transgender community, these actions feel less like policy disagreements and more like erasure by design. Once again, a small population is being targeted to fuel political battles, this time through threats to children’s education and public health.
