The Trump administration on Tuesday threatened to cut funding for a sexual education program in Washington and 45 other states, territories and Washington, D.C., unless they remove “all references to gender ideology” from curriculum materials.
The Personal Responsibility Education Program, also known as PREP, was established in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act to help reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections through evidence-based education.
Washington could lose over $2 million in remaining funds, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More than $81 million total in federal funding is in jeopardy for the states and territories on notice.
States that fail to comply within 60 days may see their PREP funding withheld, suspended or terminated, according to a Tuesday news release from the federal health agency.
Washington's PREP program provides free training to educators to help them teach young people about ways to prevent teen pregnancy, reduce STIs and HIV and build healthy relationships, state health officials said Wednesday. The program focuses on serving youth who are homeless or in foster care; those who live in rural areas or areas with high teen birthrates; and youth who are part of a minority group, including “sexual minorities,” according to the state health department.
“Federal funds will not be used to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas,” said Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families, in a statement Tuesday.
The federal health department terminated California’s PREP grant — totaling about $12 million — last week over its refusal to remove content from its program materials.
In a letter Tuesday, Gradison told the Washington State Department of Health it could also see its funding slashed for failing to remove subjects and language that are “irrelevant to teaching abstinence and contraception” and “outside the scope” of the PREP grant.
The letter cited Washington's sexual education materials that the state describes as aiming to be inclusive, respectful, and supportive of all gender expressions," and include definitions for biological sex, gender and sexual orientation.
Other educational content flagged by Gradison included material that stated, “Transgender is when a person’s gender identity is not the same as their assigned sex,” and that people may identify as nonbinary, genderqueer or some other gender identity.
“Teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity creates better understanding and respect among all students and creates a climate where discrimination is unwelcome,” stated one tool kit used in Washington that was cited.
In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson from the state’s health department said the agency is "reviewing the letter closely to determine DOH’s response."
"Using culturally relevant, age-appropriate, science-based materials for youth ages 11-21, WA PREP promotes positive decision-making, healthy development, and stronger communities, department spokesperson Marisol Mata Somarribas said in an emailed statement.
Education materials included in the state’s sexual education curriculum have been shown in studies to reduce homophobic and transphobic beliefs among high school students.
Numerous health associations and advocacy groups, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support comprehensive sexual education that includes information relevant for LGBTQ+ students.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration has aggressively rolled back the rights of transgender and nonbinary people and taken steps to deny their existence.
Trump has issued several directives to bar trans women from participating in women’s sports, stop federal funding for pediatric gender-affirming care, block new passports for trans and nonbinary people and end gender-affirming care for veterans.
The Department of Justice has also removed questions about hate crimes against transgender people from federal surveys, trans people have been banned from serving in the military and references to trans and nonbinary people are being scrubbed from federal websites.
Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this report.
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