HHS Requests Changes to California’s Gender Education Curriculum
The Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Director General Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has reached out to California with a request. They want the state to stop instructing children that they were “born in female anatomy,” while suggesting some women might feel they were “born in male anatomy.”
The HHS’s Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has sent a letter to California, asking for the removal of gender ideological references from educational materials and teacher suggestions linked to the Personally Responsible Education Program.
“It’s all a lie and can lead to irreversible medical harm to the child,” is one of the points emphasized in the letter.
The ACF highlighted concerning materials intended for middle and high school students in California. One lesson they aimed to remove states, “We’ve talked about how we should act as boys and girls during class. But, as many know, they don’t always identify with those labels. Many see themselves as transgender or genderqueer.”
Another passage referenced by HHS involves the term “cisgender,” used to describe someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. Various other identities were also mentioned, including non-binary and genderfluid.
The lesson targeting teenagers took on a more controversial tone. In a segment titled “Teen Talk High School,” it reminds students that some men are born with female anatomy, and some women have male anatomy.
The letter also states that gender identity is essentially a social construct shaped by community expectations of behavior.
Additionally, it recommended terms like “gender incongruity” to describe non-binary experiences.
The ACF stated that these educational materials push a gender ideology that must be eliminated, as they don’t align with the defined objectives of the PREP.
Little John, a senior fellow at a child advocacy group, claimed there was no harm in these lessons, describing them as standard “gender pseudoscience” unnoticed by parents for years.
“It’s all a lie and can lead to irreversible medical harm to a child,” John reiterated. She asserted that the HHS’s actions are a crucial step in getting this messaging out of schools, warning that telling kids they might be born in the wrong body could pose serious risks as they grow.
Alleigh Marre, the executive director of the American Parents Coalition, expressed that gender ideology “never” had a place in school curricula, emphasizing education should focus on real-world challenges and academic skills.
California has been ordered to eliminate all gender ideological references from the educational materials within 60 days and to submit a revised copy to ACF for approval.
