The Administration’s “Stupid” Assault on Sex Education and Trans Children

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In what can only be described as one of the most cynical, anti-science, and profoundly stupid moves of any modern administration, the Felonious Punk’s Department of Health and Human Services has declared war on children’s health. In a series of threatening letters sent this week, the administration has put 46 states and territories “on notice”: purge all references to transgender people and “gender ideology” from your federally-funded sex education programs within 60 days, or lose access to more than $81 million in critical funding.

This is not a good-faith policy dispute. It is an ideological purge, a malicious and transparently political attack that weaponizes federal funding to impose a narrow, right-wing social agenda on a public health program designed to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The administration’s rhetoric, accusing states of “poisoning the minds of the next generation” with “delusional ideology,” is not the language of serious public health officials; it is the language of a cruel and dangerous culture war, and its primary casualties will be the most vulnerable young people in our country.

The Anatomy of a Manufactured Crisis

The program at the center of this manufactured crisis is the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), a teen pregnancy and STI prevention initiative created under the Affordable Care Act. The administration’s pretext for this assault is the claim that including medically accurate information about gender identity “exceeded the scope of PREP’s authorizing statute” and “is not supported by the weight of science.” This justification is a demonstrable lie.

The most powerful rebuttal comes from the state of California, whose PREP grant was terminated last week, setting the precedent for the current nationwide threat. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) immediately fired back, stating that its curriculum is “medically accurate, comprehensive, and age-appropriate.” Crucially, they noted that their program had been previously approved by the very same federal agency that is now defunding them. The CDPH pointed out that the federal statute itself requires the curriculum to address “adolescent development, such as the development of healthy attitudes and values about adolescent growth and development, body image, racial and ethnic diversity, and other related subjects.” The administration is not enforcing the law; it is inventing a new, politically motivated interpretation of it to justify its ideological crusade. The specifics of what the administration wants to purge are as petty as they are revealing. In the letter to New York, for example, the content flagged for removal includes basic definitions of “gender identity” and even directives for program facilitators to “demonstrate acceptance and respect for all participants.”

A Coordinated War on Transgender People

This attack on sex education is not an isolated incident. It is one front in a much broader, systematic, and vicious war being waged by the Felonious Punk administration against transgender Americans. This is a coordinated campaign to erase transgender identity from public life and deny transgender people basic rights and recognition. The pattern is undeniable. On his first day back in office, the President signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. recognizes only two unchangeable sexes. This was followed by a cascade of discriminatory policies: a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a ban on transgender girls participating in girls’ sports, and a ban on transgender people serving openly in the military.

Federal officials have even gone so far as to scrub mentions of transgender or intersex people from government websites, including, in an act of profound historical vandalism, from the website for the Stonewall National Monument. The threat to withhold sex education funding is not a policy dispute; it is the logical and cruel next step in a relentless, state-sponsored campaign of targeted harassment.

The Real-World Consequences: A Threat to Children’s Lives

While the administration cloaks its actions in the language of “protecting children,” the reality is that this policy will do profound and irreparable harm to them. As Governor Gavin Newsom’s spokesperson stated, “If it’s a day ending in y, President Trump is attacking kids’ safety, health, and access to education as part of his culture war.” This is not hyperbole. The argument for inclusive education is not a political one; it is a public health imperative. “Studies consistently show us that LGBTQ+ students, especially trans and non-binary youth, face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and suicide,” explained Jorge Reyes Salinas of the civil rights organization Equality California. “Inclusive education reduces stigma and saves lives.”

By demanding the erasure of transgender people from health curricula, the administration is actively contributing to an environment of ignorance and hostility that has life-and-death consequences for young people. They are deliberately stripping away the resources that provide vulnerable teenagers with medically accurate information and a message of acceptance, leaving them isolated and at greater risk. This is not just a stupid move; it is a deeply malicious one.

A Moral and Political Failure

The administration’s war on sex education is a profound moral and political failure. It is an attack on science, a betrayal of public health principles, and a direct assault on the safety and well-being of some of the most vulnerable children in our society. It is a policy that will do nothing to prevent teen pregnancies or STIs, but will demonstrably increase the stigma, suffering, and risk of suicide for LGBTQ+ youth. It is the weaponization of federal power in the service of a narrow, cruel, and bigoted ideological agenda. As acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison said, “Accountability is coming.” He is right, but it is he and his administration who must be held accountable for this shameful and dangerous assault on America’s children.