HHS threatens funding cuts over gender ideology in sex education
- The Department of Health and Human Services warned that Illinois must censor its sex education curriculum to avoid losing federal funding.
- States were given a 60-day ultimatum to comply with new requirements regarding gender ideology in educational materials.
- The actions from the Trump administration reflect a significant shift towards controlling educational content on sensitive topics.
In a notable move, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a warning months ago to Illinois and 45 other states and territories regarding their sex education curricula. The federal agency demanded that these states remove any references to gender ideology from their programs within 60 days or face the potential loss of federal funding. This demand includes educational materials from the federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), which is aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The decision reflects a broader strategy by the Trump Administration to impose stricter controls over educational content that relates to sexuality and gender. Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison stated that federal funds should not be used to promote what he termed