The Trump administration has warned South Dakota it could lose over $600,000 in federal sex education funding unless it removes references to “gender ideology” from its curriculum. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent similar letters to 40 states, threatening to withhold a total of $81.3 million from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) unless materials referencing transgender and nonbinary identities are revised within 60 days.
State officials say the accusation is inaccurate. South Dakota Department of Health spokesperson Tia Kafka clarified that while the curriculum provider includes such content, the state does not use those specific materials.
The federal letter flagged definitions of “transgender,” prompts exploring gender identity, and descriptions of sexuality as “complex” as examples of content outside the grant’s scope. The CEO of Wyman, the curriculum provider defended the curriculum as evidence-based and flexible, focused on youth development.
PREP has operated in South Dakota since 2010, targeting at-risk youth ages 10–19. Lutheran Social Services administers the program, which reached 224 participants in Sioux Falls and Rapid City last fiscal year.
Advocates condemned the federal move. Samantha Chapman of the ACLU called it an attack on gender diversity and youth education. LGBTQ+ advocate Cody Ingle said the policy misrepresents gender science and erases longstanding identities, noting that visibility is not ideology but progress.
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