In order to avoid losing more than $12.3 million in federal money that assisted in funding the development and dissemination of the materials, the Trump administration has given California 60 days to remove gender identity information from sex education curricula.
The order represents the most recent conflict between the California administration and LGBTQ+ issues. Trump’s executive order from January 20th that acknowledged two sexes—male and female—is largely responsible for these culture war-tinged debates, which have raged on numerous fronts and spread to all departments under his control.
Trump has threatened to withhold large amounts of federal funds from youth sports until California prohibits transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports.
California has yet to comply.
The Trump approach has meant that curricula that permit gender expressions other than the binary of male or female are opposed in classrooms. Although the federal government has historically had little control over local curricula, Trump has not hesitated to use federal cash as pressure.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families is exerting pressure in this instance.
According to a federal regulation, the children and families department oversees a grant program that disburses $75 million annually across the country to educate adolescents on the use of contraception and abstinence in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted illnesses, including HIV/AIDS.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that California has received more than $18.2 million in funding over a three-year period, through the next fiscal year. Over a number of years, the state may lose $12.3 million that it has not yet received.
California is not being blamed for not implementing the message of abstinence and contraception. Instead, the state has included extra material that the Trump administration deems offensive and unrelated to the grant’s objectives.
Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison stated that the Trump Administration will not allow federal funding to be used for initiatives that brainwash our youngsters. The troubling content about gender ideology is not only undesirable, but it also goes well beyond the main goal of the program.
The following sample language from a middle school lecture was given in a June 20 letter to a top California official, among other examples:
In class, we’ve been discussing the messages that people receive about how they should behave as boys and girls. However, as many of you are aware, some people identify as transgender or gender queer instead of boys or girls. This implies that even while they may have physical characteristics that are commonly associated with being a male or a girl and were given the name “boy” or “girl” at birth, they feel different on the inside.
The California Department of Public Health defended the materials as comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically accurate in a statement, although it did not specify how it would react to the federal requirement.
According to the state statement, the California Personal Responsibility Education Program, or CA PREP, which uses successful, evidence-based or evidence-informed program approaches to give teenagers complete sexual health education, is supported by the federal award.
In compliance with federal rules, the California department also mentioned that the curriculum have received federal pre-approval.
While acknowledging this, the Trump administration said that the Biden administration had erred in permitting the teaching of gender ideology to students through PREP funds.
Through 20 agencies, the funding supports sex education programs that reach an estimated 13,000 adolescents annually in foster care group homes, homeless shelters, juvenile justice facilities, and some schools.
According to data, individuals who finished CA PREP had better health outcomes and a deeper comprehension of sexual and reproductive health themes, according to the health department.
According to California law, school districts must give pupils thorough sexual health education and information on HIV prevention at least once in middle and high school.
The Trump administration has claimed exclusive control over all government awards, even those that are currently being awarded. In court, its grant cancellations are being contested.
This report was written by Daniel Miller, a staff writer for the Times.
