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The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered the Oregon Health Authority remove all mentions of “gender ideology” from its sexual education curriculum for vulnerable youth.
Oregon is among 46 states, territories and Washington D.C. who received letters from the Administration for Children and Families, a government bureau wrapped in the Department of Health and Human Services. ACF runs the Personal Responsibility Education Program, also known as PREP, which provides sexual health curricula for youth ages 10-19 that is meant to prevent pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
In his letter to OHA chief financial officer Nadia Davidson, ACF acting assistant secretary Andrew Gradison outlined dozens of subjects “outside of scope” that it wanted removed. Some examples include spelling out the acronym LGBTQ; a point about how gender identity and expression may not match assigned gender at birth; and definitions for terms like gender, gender fluidity and gender nonconforming.
“The statute neither requires, supports nor authorizes teaching students that gender identity is distinct from biological sex or that boys can identify as girls and vice versa,” Gradison’s letter states. “Thus, gender ideology is outside the scope of the authorizing statute and any expenditures associated with gender ideology are not allowable, reasonable, or allocable to the PREP grant.”
Oregon could lose more than $1.6 million in PREP grants if it fails to comply with the order. Oregon PREP typically targets underserved youth, including those experiencing homelessness and youth of color. The letter gives OHA until Oct. 27 to display modified curricula with the removal in a Dropbox. (In this PDF from a federal press release, Oregon’s letter starts on page 143.)
PREP, as Chalkbeat has reported, represents a small piece of sex-ed funding, but its funding is meant for “particularly vulnerable” youth and its end could be consequential. The federal government awards PREP grant funds, but it is up to states to dictate programming.
One state, California, has already pushed back. The federal government suspended its PREP funds on Aug. 21. Oregon has so far defied some other education-related orders from the Trump administration, including an early April one to scrap diversity and inclusion programs for K-12 students or risk federal funding.
“At this time, Oregon Health Authority continues to assess federal changes and actions for any impact that they have on the people of Oregon,” says OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie. “OHA remains committed to ensuring all people and communities can achieve optimum physical, mental and social well-being in Oregon.”
Blair Stenvick, spokesperson for Basic Rights Oregon, says all young people deserve access to comprehensive and age-appropriate sex ed curriculum. Queer and trans youth see tremendous improvements in mental health “when they feel affirmed and included at school,” they said.
“By cutting out any mention of LGBTQ2SIA+ issues, this policy would put queer and trans young people at higher risk for STIs and sexual assault. Additionally, it will add to the harmful narrative that being LGBTQ2SIA+ is something to be ashamed of or kept secret,” Stenvick says. “Removing these lessons in Oregon would put yet another burden on some of our most vulnerable kids.”
