HHS pulls funding from California’s sex ed program after state refuses to drop ‘radical’ gender lessons
WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is led by Robert F Kennedy Jr, has pulled federal funding from California’s sex education program, citing the state’s refusal to drop what officials call “radical gender ideology” from its curriculum.
The grant, aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, was terminated after California declined to revise its lessons, according to exclusive reports from Fox News.
We delivered a clear message: federal funds must be used responsibly. California’s Personal Responsibility Education Program grant was revoked today because it failed to remove delusional gender ideology that isn’t part of the program’s mission. We stand firm on doing the right…
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 21, 2025
Andrew Gradison criticizes California for refusing to remove ‘egregious gender ideology’ from curriculum
On Thursday, August 21, Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) criticized California for refusing to remove what he called “egregious gender ideology” from its federally funded sex education materials.
“California’s refusal to comply with federal law and remove egregious gender ideology from federally funded sex-ed materials is unacceptable,” Gradison shared with Fox News. “The Trump Administration will not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to indoctrinate children. Accountability is coming for every state that uses federal funds to teach children delusional gender ideology."
Later that morning, ACF, a division of HHS responsible for supporting families through programs like child care and social services, officially terminated California’s funding under the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grant.
The program targets youth aged 10 to 19 and focuses on reducing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. According to California officials, PREP has helped students delay sexual activity, increase condom and contraceptive use among sexually active teens, and reduce the number of sexual partners.
ACF terminates California’s Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding
The decision to terminate California’s PREP funding follows a 60-day ultimatum ACF issued in June, which required California to remove all references to gender identity from its sex education curriculum or risk losing federal support. That deadline has now passed.
After California failed to comply, ACF sent an official termination letter to Sydney Armendariz, Division Chief of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and Matthew Green, Deputy Director of the Center for Family Health.
The letter stated that ACF was “terminating all California State Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) awards and suspending the funding effective August 21, 2025."
According to the letter, California rejected ACF’s demand to strip what the federal agency described as “radical gender ideology” from its PREP curriculum. In a written response earlier this week, CDPH refused to make the requested changes, stating, “CDPH will not make any such modifications at this time for several reasons.”
They included, "The listed reasons were: 1) PREP materials had already been reviewed and approved by ACF; 2) the materials are medically accurate; 3) the gender ideology content is relevant to purposes identified in the authorizing statute, specifically the adult preparation subjects listed at 42 U.S.C. § 713(b)(2)(C); and 4) ACF does not have authority to take an enforcement action."
ACF flags problematic lessons presented to students
During its curriculum review, ACF identified several lessons as problematic.
One middle school lesson introduced students to transgender and gender queer identities with the following explanation: “We’ve been talking during class about messages people get on how they should act as boys and girls—but as many of you know, there are also people who don’t identify as boys or girls, but rather as transgender or gender queer. This means that even if they were called a boy or a girl at birth and may have body parts that are typically associated with being a boy or a girl, on the inside, they feel differently.”
ACF also flagged high school-level materials that discussed nonbinary identities and described gender identity as “essentially a social status.”
In a press release on Thursday, HHS condemned California’s curriculum, accusing the state of misusing federal funds.
The release stated: “In a disturbing and egregious abuse of federal funds, California has been using taxpayer money to teach curricula that could encourage kids to contemplate mutilating their genitals, ‘altering their body… through hormone therapy,’ ‘adding or removing breast tissue,’ and ‘changing their name.’ It instructed teachers to ‘remind students that some men are born with female anatomy.’”
The letter added, "This is the final decision of the Administration for Children and Families. It shall be the final decision of the Department unless, within 30 days after receiving this decision, you submit a notice of appeal to the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB)."
