Trump HHS: Remove ‘gender ideology’ from sex ed program for at-risk youth, or lose funds

A division of the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is advising states to eliminate “all gender ideology references” from a sex education program for at-risk youth, or risk losing federal funding.

Key Takeaways:

• All states that receive federal funding for the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) must comply with the removal of gender ideology from all curriculum it chooses to use, or they will lose federal funding.

• The PREP program specifically targets at-risk youth — which means that, until now, this program has received special federal funds to indoctrinate youth with Planned Parenthood’s pro-abortion, pro-transgender ideologies.

• The Administration for Children and Families, a division of HHS, sent a letter to California pointing out eight examples of gender ideology contained in various curricula. Two of these are curricula that are used in multiple states nationwide.

• Sex ed standards aligning with pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ+ ideology is pervasive and nationwide, with certain groups rating states based upon how stridently they promote these ideologies.

• The Trump administration’s efforts to hold sex miseducators accountable is a step in the right direction, but more must be done to try to undo the damage of years — and even decades — of age-inappropriate sex ed.

The Details:

On June 20, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of HHS, sent a letter to California’s State Personal Responsibility Education Program (CA PREP) advising the state to comply with the current administration requirement to eliminate “all gender ideology references” from its sex ed curricula used in the program.

In California’s case, non-compliance will mean the loss of $6 million in federal funding. 

Targeting vulnerable minors

PREP provides federal funding for sex education programs for populations deemed ‘high risk’ for STIs or teen pregnancies. According to ACF, participants in PREP are mostly minority children. Those deemed high risk often include:

• Minors in foster care

• Juvenile detention facilities

• Some public schools

• Homeless shelters

Like public schools, states receiving funding for PREP set guidelines for the program but must comply with federal requirements. Similarly, states and school districts dictate which curriculum to utilize for their respective state-run PREP.

The letter from ACF offers eight examples it has identified as violations of the Trump administration’s requirements.

PREP-funded programs in multiple states contain similar (or identical) examples of transgender- and abortion-promoting propaganda passed off as sex ed curriculum for children. These target some of the most vulnerable minor populations in the country.  

ACF’s acting assistant secretary, Andrew Gradison, stated:

The disturbing gender ideology content in California’s PREP materials is both unacceptable and well outside the program’s core purpose. ACF remains committed to radical transparency and providing accountability so that parents know what their children are being taught in schools.

Elana Ross, spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom, claimed that the examples in the HHS letter are not part of California’s officially mandated sex-ed curriculum found in CA PREP, as state laws generally dictate guidelines and parameters for a subject, not necessarily specific curriculum. Such decisions are typically left up to the districts. 

But in reality, California’s state laws on sex ed are fully in alignment with the ideology the Trump administration is stating must be eliminated. In other words, virtually any sex ed curriculum allowed in the state of California likely already contains the gender ideology not allowed under ACF’s new PREP requirements.

The problem is pervasive

Earlier this year, all states which receive funding by PREP were notified of changes to the requirements to remove gender ideology from curricula. According to National Review, a spokeswoman for ACF stated that “pro-abortion content would be outside of PREP’s authorizing legislation.” 

A number of states across the nation follow the National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES) or similar objectives. These standards for sex ed (and others used for subjects such as History, English, and Mathematics) also utilize “inclusive” language tailored to LGBTQ student populations.

These are the same programs that openly advocate for abortion, masturbation, and pornography — and promote Planned Parenthood.  

Zoom In:

“Rights, Respect, Responsibility” 

One of the sex ed curricula specifically mentioned in the ACF letter is “Rights, Respect, Responsibility,” created by Advocates for Youth (AFY). This curriculum is promoted by the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) coalition, which includes Planned Parenthood. 

Live Action News has exposed the sexually explicit, pro-abortion, “gender-affirming” curriculum which includes the 3R’s. AFY describes this curriculum as “Inclusive for issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.”

In other words, like all Planned Parenthood and FoSE backed sex ed curriculum, the 3R’s used in California and multiple other school districts across the country, is crafted with “inclusivity” throughout the curriculum.

In fact, entire lessons are based on transgender ideology:

Teen Talk 

Another sex ed curriculum referenced in the letter is “Teen Talk,”frequently promoted and used by Planned Parenthood and flagged by StopCSE.org as extremely explicit and inappropriate for children. 

Varying versions of “Teen Talk” are used in districts across California. Orange and San Bernardino Counties and an Amador County Unified School District High School use a version of “Teen Talk” from Canada which is littered with transgender ideology and pro-abortion propaganda. 

For example, to describe the anatomy of the vulva, the curriculum (in the Activities Binder at Amador High School) instructs: “Note: We avoid calling this a “female” body, as many Two-Spirit, transgender and gender non-conforming people may have a vulva and may not identify as female” (p. 61). 

The same Activity Binder uses “Value Statements” to coach students to agree with beliefs such as: 

• “I believe that masturbation (touching yourself for sexual pleasure) is okay” (p. 40)

• “I believe that a person who is pregnant should have the option to have an abortion” (p. 41)

The Activity Binder also lists masturbation, phone sex/sexting, and oral/anal sex as “Fun and Safe Activities” (p. 49). 

In Orange and San Bernardino Counties, Planned Parenthood targets minors in foster care by offering them gift cards to attend the corporation’s online summer camp.

Why It Matters:

As Live Action News has extensively reported on the broad reach of “gender-affirming” and pro-abortion ideology infiltrating schools.

GLSEN advocates for LGBTQ-“inclusive” K-12 multi-subject curricula to be used nationwide, issuing “Report Cards” to rank each state according to the group’s standards.

According to GLSEN, five states (in dark green) include “inclusive” core and sex ed standards which would likely violate the current administration’s standards: California, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Maryland.

GLSEN’s standards center around what it terms “Four Supports” in schools, K-12:

• Comprehensive policies to address harassment and discrimination

• Inclusive learning in classrooms and school libraries

• Supportive school staff

• GSAs [Gay Straight Alliances] and LGBTQI+ youth leadership

The reference to “inclusive learning in classrooms and school libraries” is important, as there is a propaganda campaign underway that portrays restricting sexually-themed or gender-ideology-based books from the eyes of children as “book banning.” (Read more here about how Planned Parenthood and its sex-ed coalition partners fight to keep sexually graphic books within reach of children — without parental permission or knowledge.)

Several of the 14 other states in lighter green also include “inclusive” language and concepts into either core or sex ed curricula:

• SIECUS reports that some districts in West Virginia utilize “Teen Talk” for sex education curriculum. Other districts in the state offer Planned Parenthood-led after school programs using the “Teen Talk” curriculum. 

• Washington State utilizes AFY’s “Rights, Respect, Responsibility” curriculum, Teen Talk, and several other sex ed curricula that includes transgender ideology.  

• According to SIECUS, in Connecticut, “Planned Parenthood of Southern New England offer programming for public, private, and charter schools in addition to community-based organizations and after school programs.”  

• Illinois requires the NSES be aligned with sex ed curriculum used in the state.

The Bottom Line:

Considering the fact that PREP funds are intended to mostly serve “at-risk” youth, it becomes clearer how the FoSE coalition seeks to indoctrinate the minds of these children to create lifelong Planned Parenthood clientele. Tragically, it was reported that at least 2,084 children underwent state-funded, life-altering “gender transitioning” medical procedures from 2019-2023.

While efforts by the ACF under the current administration are a very small step in the right direction, so much more must be done. This should begin by defunding the leaders of sex education in the U.S.: Planned Parenthood and its cohorts.