Trump administration orders California to remove gender identity from sex ed

The Trump administration revealed Friday it has given California days to remove all mention of gender identity from its federally funded sexual learning curriculum or the state risks losing grant funding The directive comes a meager months after the administration launched a probe into California s Personal Responsibility Training Venture PREP a national million scheme that teaches youth and teens about abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections Trump functionaries declared at the time the examination 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 broadcasted this week The initiative is overseen by the Administration for Children and Families within the U S Department of Robustness and Human Services but varies from state to state The agency explained that after reviewing California s campaign materials agency leaders uncovered egregious content surrounding gender identity that have nothing to do with the campaign s core mission to provide youth with medically accurate fact-based training The Trump administration will not tolerate the use of federal funds for programs that indoctrinate our children disclosed the agency s acting assistant secretary Andrew Gradison in a report 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 latest 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 gang The California Department of Citizens Wellbeing which oversees the PREP venture at the state level did not right now respond to a request for comment Friday but previously disclosed it would comply with the agency s analysis The state medical department receives million under the initiative 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 operation also teaches youth about forming healthy relationships life skills physical and reproductive evolution and identity The initiative s curriculum includes language related to gender identity sexual orientation and LGBTQ youth California s PREP project has reached over youth throughout the state and grant funds aid agencies county wellbeing departments family asset centers and Planned Parenthood in counties with the highest need for sex wellness tuition and services according to the California Department of Society Fitness Separate from the PREP scheme California state law requires that students in grades - receive sexual medical and HIV prevention schooling at least once in middle school and once in high school but the state does not have a statewide sexual schooling curriculum so school districts school boards and county offices of mentoring are in charge of choosing the class materials being taught in classrooms The law states the material must meet core standards and be age appropriate and medically accurate and sexual learning 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 scrutiny into California s learning 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 Population Robustness the Administration for Children and Families announced the agency initiated the biological 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 guide s guide that defined gender identity and a high school lesson that discussed gender identity and gender-related topics like genderqueer and social versus medicinal transitioning Related Articles Mayor says Fremont s future filled with hope in State of the City address Mt Diablo district authorities unexpectedly reverse plan to oust oversight commissioners Oakland has a unique relationship with Juneteenth So does Mayor Barbara Lee US resumes foreign trainee 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 announced 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 operation materials were previously approved by the agency under the Biden administration the agency stated gender ideology is both irrelevant to teaching abstinence and contraception and unrelated to any of the adult preparation subjects required for the federally funded initiative The agency gave the state until August to remove all content related to gender ideology or vulnerability additional enforcement such as the termination of federal funding The agency commented it is also assessing operation materials for grant recipients outside California to ensure all material is free from gender ideology content