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At least 11 states and two territories have agreed to a new demand from the federal government to eliminate mentions of gender identity and the presence of trans and non-binary people from a national sex education initiative, officials confirmed.

The government established a Monday deadline for removing these mentions, threatening the withdrawal of millions in federal funds. Nearly all of the agreeing jurisdictions have GOP-led state legislatures and mostly GOP governors.

Legal Challenges and Financial Disputes

Sixteen other states and the nation's capital have initiated legal action against the administration's demand, arguing it infringes on legislative power, which established the $75m sex education program, known as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (Prep).

All states involved in the lawsuit are led by Democratic state executives.

In a recent judicial ruling, a U.S. judge prevented the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees Prep, from withholding financial support to the suing jurisdictions if they do not adhere.

“The agency does not demonstrate that the updated requirements are reasonable, nor does it offer any reasonable explanation, other than an excuse, for its decisions,” wrote the judge, a federal jurist in Oregon. “The department offers no proof that it made informed determinations or took into account the statutory objectives.”

Program Goals and Government Scrutiny

The program aims to inform adolescents on positive interactions and how to avoid pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

In the spring, the Trump administration demanded all states and territories obtaining Prep funds to submit a copy of their educational materials to the department and its agency, the ACF office, 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 educational programs that fall outside the purview of Prep’s authorizing statute.”

Specifically, the government said it had uncovered evidence of “gender ideology,” a phrase often used by conservative groups to describe the notion that identity is a changeable social construct and that transgender individuals exist.

Specific Examples of Requested Changes

The government instructed one state to remove a lesson that said: “Adolescents may identify in ways that don’t conform with their biological sex.”

It instructed another state to delete a sentence from a educational module that stated: “Individuals regardless of identity need to know how to avoid pregnancy and STDs.”

Moreover, sex educators in many jurisdictions could no longer be told to “demonstrate acceptance and respect for all students, irrespective of individual traits, including race, cultural background, religion, economic status, orientation or gender identity,” based on the notices dispatched to states.

Government Comments and Jurisdictional Reactions

“Oversight is imminent,” said a federal official, acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families, in a announcement. “Federal funds will not be used to poison the minds of the youth or advance dangerous ideological agendas.”

Several jurisdictions and regions confirmed they would eliminate the content or had completed the process. These consist of eleven specific states, as well as the two territories.

Two other states, the states, said their educational programs never included the terminology referenced in the government's notices.

Impact on Youth and Mental Health

Collectively, these states are home to more than 120k trans people between the ages of 13 and 17, according to estimates from a research institute.

“When the aim is to help adolescents and give them a safe space, I’m not sure why we are stomping on the most vulnerable youth in the community,” said an advocate, who heads Rise that provides sex education in one state.

“If authorities state that there’s something incorrect about 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 secure – that’s detrimental to psychological well-being.”

Nearly half of transgender adolescents seriously considered suicide in the previous twelve months, according to a 2024 survey from a mental health organization. School support for these youths is associated with reduced numbers of self-harm attempts, the organization found.

Earlier Incidents and Ongoing Disputes

Previously, the Trump administration instructed a state to cut references to transgender topics from its Prep curriculum.

When the jurisdiction declined, the administration revoked its Prep grant, cutting approximately $12m in federal funding and halting health initiatives in schools, juvenile detention facilities and group homes for foster children.

The state agency is appealing the withdrawal. So far, it has been unsuccessful in replace the lost funding.

The government has additionally told educators who receive money from additional national programs, the $50 million Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) and the $101 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP), that they cannot teach about “gender ideology.”

An recent court order prevented the administration from altering one program, while the Monday court order stops it from modifying SRAE in the Democratic states that challenged Prep.

The ACF office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.