Trump administration orders California to remove gender identity from sex ed

The Trump administration declared Friday it has given California days to remove all mention of gender identity from its federally funded sexual instruction curriculum or the state risks losing grant funding The directive comes a sparse months after the administration launched a probe into California s Personal Responsibility Mentoring Campaign PREP a national million plan that teaches youth and teens about abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections Trump representatives disclosed at the time the inquiry was necessary to ensure the material being taught was age-appropriate and medically accurate but LGBTQ advocates worried the review would lead to the sort of ban declared this week The activity is overseen by the Administration for Children and Families within the U S Department of Soundness and Human Services but varies from state to state The agency reported that after reviewing California s scheme materials agency leaders uncovered egregious content surrounding gender identity that have nothing to do with the plan s core mission to provide youth with medically accurate fact-based tuition The Trump administration will not tolerate the use of federal funds for programs that indoctrinate our children revealed the agency s acting assistant secretary Andrew Gradison in a declaration The disturbing gender ideology content in California s PREP materials is both unacceptable and well outside the activity s core purpose ACF remains committed to radical transparency and providing accountability so that parents know what their children are being taught in schools In fresh months the Trump administration has threatened to pull federal funding from California several times over its policies supporting transgender students Just last month President Donald Trump threatened large-scale funding cuts to the state if a Southern California transgender high school athlete who qualified for the state track and field championship was allowed to compete and his administration has threatened to slash funds for San Jose State University for allowing a transgender volleyball athlete to compete on its women s squad The California Department of Inhabitants Wellbeing which oversees the PREP activity at the state level did not without delay respond to a request for comment Friday but previously disclosed it would comply with the agency s analysis The state wellbeing department receives million under the venture to teach safe sex practices HIV-prevention and abstinence to high-needs populations including LGBTQ youth homeless youth minorities migrant farmworkers incarcerated youth and foster youth in classrooms foster homes homeless shelters and juvenile justice facilities The project also teaches youth about forming healthy relationships life skills physical and reproductive evolution and identity The effort s curriculum includes language related to gender identity sexual orientation and LGBTQ youth California s PREP undertaking has reached over youth throughout the state and grant funds assistance agencies county soundness departments family reservoir centers and Planned Parenthood in counties with the highest need for sex healthcare schooling and services according to the California Department of Residents Strength Separate from the PREP undertaking California state law requires that students in grades - receive sexual medical and HIV prevention training at least once in middle school and once in high school but the state does not have a statewide sexual tuition curriculum so school districts school boards and county offices of tuition are in charge of choosing the lesson materials being taught in classrooms The law states the material must meet core standards and be age appropriate and medically accurate and sexual mentoring in California is also required to include all genders and sexual orientations as well as discuss gender identity and expression But those requirements put the state at odds with the current administration Since he took office in January Trump has signed several anti-trans executive orders including orders that only recognize two sexes limit gender-affirming treatments for youth and prohibit transgender players from participating in high school and college sports In March the administration initiated an study into California s guidance department over a controversial gender notification law the state passed last summer alleging that it encouraged schools to conceal information from parents about their children s sexuality In a Friday letter to the California Department of Residents Fitness the Administration for Children and Families announced the agency initiated the health accuracy review to determine if California s approach to biological sex in its plan materials was medically accurate The letter identified a handful of content the agency deemed inappropriate including a middle school lesson that discussed people identifying as transgender or gender queer a lecturer s guide that defined gender identity and a high school lesson that discussed gender identity and gender-related topics like genderqueer and social versus healthcare transitioning Related Articles Mayor says Fremont s future filled with hope in State of the City address Mt Diablo district leaders unexpectedly reverse plan to oust oversight commissioners Oakland has a unique relationship with Juneteenth So does Mayor Barbara Lee US resumes foreign pupil visas but with social media demands New bill would ban cancerous chemicals from California firefighters gear If someone s sex assigned at birth does not match with their gender identity or how they feel inside they might identify as transgender one middle school lesson mentioned according to the agency s letter For example if someone is born with female body parts hormones and DNA and inside they feel like a man While the Trump administration s letter acknowledged that California s effort materials were previously approved by the agency under the Biden administration the agency disclosed gender ideology is both irrelevant to teaching abstinence and contraception and unrelated to any of the adult preparation subjects required for the federally funded campaign The agency gave the state until August to remove all content related to gender ideology or exposure additional enforcement such as the termination of federal funding The agency announced it is also reviewing project materials for grant recipients outside California to ensure all material is free from gender ideology content