Trump admin. pulls $12 million sex education grant from California over transgender policies

The Trump administration on Thursday canceled a grant for sexual education to California since the state “refused to remove radical gender ideology from the federally funded education program.”

The grant is worth $12 million, according to multiple media reports.

The California Personal Responsibility Education Program

serves youths ages 10 to 19, teaching abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The program focuses on vulnerable groups, including children who are homeless, in foster care, or living in areas with high teen birth rates. LGBTQ teens are among the targeted populations.

The curriculum is offered in schools, juvenile justice facilities, homeless shelters and foster care group homes.

Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told Fox & Friends that his agency is reviewing programs nationwide. He said nearly 40 states will be asked to revise their curriculum.

“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,” Elana Ross, a spokesperson from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, told KTLA in an emailed statement.

The California Department of Public Health, which oversees CA Prep, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The grant cancellation follows the U.S. Justice Department’s suit against the state over its rules allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ school sports, arguing the policy violates federal anti-discrimination laws.

Back in February, Trump signed an executive order that states that “it is the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports” and threatens to “rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.”

Trump has also alluded to withholding federal funds from California over the issue. Newsom responded and raised the possibility of withholding California’s share of federal taxes.