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At least eleven jurisdictions and a pair of regions have agreed to a new demand from the Trump administration to eliminate mentions of transgender issues and the existence of transgender and non-binary individuals from a national sex education initiative, authorities confirmed.

The administration established a recent cutoff for removing these mentions, warning the loss of millions in federal funds. Almost every of the complying states have Republican-controlled state legislatures and mostly Republican governors.

Court Battles and Funding Conflicts

Sixteen other states and the nation's capital have filed a lawsuit challenging the government's requirement, claiming it infringes on legislative power, which established the $75 million sex education program, known as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (Prep).

All states participating in the lawsuit are governed by Democratic governors.

In a recent court order, a federal judge blocked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the program, from withholding funding to the suing jurisdictions if they refuse to comply.

“The agency does not demonstrate that the new grant conditions are justified, let alone offer any valid reason, other than pretext, for its actions,” wrote Ann Aiken, a federal jurist in the state. “The department offers no proof that it made factual findings or considered the statutory objectives.”

Program Goals and Government Scrutiny

Prep aims to inform teenagers on healthy relationships and how to avoid unplanned parenthood and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

In April, the Trump administration required all jurisdictions receiving program money to provide a version of their educational materials to HHS and its agency, the Administration for Children and Families, for a health content assessment.

Four months later, the administration dispatched notices to numerous jurisdictions, stating that, during the evaluation, it had discovered “material in the curricula that fall outside the scope of Prep’s authorizing statute.”

In particular, the government said it had identified evidence of “gender ideology,” a term often used by conservative groups to refer to the idea that identity is a fluid cultural concept and that trans and non-binary people are real.

Notable Cases of Required Alterations

The administration directed Illinois to drop a lesson that said: “Young people may identify in ways that don’t conform with their biological sex.”

It told North Carolina to delete a sentence from a educational module that read: “People of all sexual orientations and gender identities need to know how to avoid pregnancy and STDs.”

Moreover, health instructors in many jurisdictions could no longer be instructed to “demonstrate acceptance and respect for all participants, irrespective of personal characteristics, including race, heritage, faith, social class, sexual orientation or identity,” based on the notices sent to states.

Official Statements and State Responses

“Oversight is imminent,” said Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary of the ACF office, in a announcement. “Government money will not be used to negatively influence of the next generation or promote harmful political doctrines.”

Multiple jurisdictions and territories stated they would eliminate the references or had completed the process. These include Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Two other states, Alabama and South Dakota, reported their educational programs never contained the language mentioned in the administration’s letters.

Impact on Youth and Psychological Well-being

Collectively, these jurisdictions are inhabited by more than 120k trans people between the ages of 13 and 17, according to estimates from a university department.

“When the aim is to support youth and give them a secure environment, I’m not sure why we are stomping on the most vulnerable youth in the population,” commented an advocate, who heads an organization that offers health instruction in one state.

“When the government says that there’s something wrong with you and the educators aren’t allowed to tell you things or they have to out you to your parents – when you know that that’s not safe – that’s horrible for mental health.”

Almost 50% of trans and non-binary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, based on a 2024 survey from a mental health organization. School support for these youths is linked to reduced numbers of attempted suicide, the organization found.

Previous Actions and Ongoing Disputes

Previously, the federal government ordered a state to cut mentions to transgender topics from its Prep curriculum.

When the Democratic-led state declined, the government withdrew its Prep grant, eliminating about $12 million in federal funding and stopping health initiatives in educational institutions, youth centers and group homes for foster children.

The state agency is challenging the termination. To date, it has been unable to replace the lost funding.

The government has additionally told educators who obtain funding from additional national programs, the $50m SRAE program and the $101 million TPPP initiative, that they cannot teach about “gender ideology.”

An early October court order blocked the administration from altering TPPP, while the latest ruling prohibits it from modifying SRAE in the Democratic states that challenged Prep.

The Administration for Children and Families did not immediately respond to a request for comment.