PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge in Oregon has ruled against President Donald Trump’s administration, blocking its efforts to withdraw funding for sexual education programs that mention diverse gender identities.
U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, part of a lawsuit filed against the Health and Human Services Department by 16 states and the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs argued that the proposed funding cuts would violate the separation of powers and federal law.
The complaint mentions that the Department’s actions are an attempt to force states to revise their sexual health curricula, effectively erasing whole categories of students. This move is described as a direct attack on transgender and gender-diverse youth.
The Trump administration, in its filings, contended that it possesses the authority to impose conditions on funding grants. However, Judge Aiken noted the lack of evidence from the Health Department that it had made factual findings or considered the necessary legal requirements before proposing these changes.
Aiken emphasized that the department failed to demonstrate that the new funding conditions were reasonable or justified. The ruling indicates that the attempt to remove federal funding could potentially jeopardize over $35 million in resources for sexual health education across the plaintiff states.
The lawsuit has significant support, with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison expressing satisfaction with the ruling, highlighting the protection it offers to crucial health education programs.
The Health Department is targeting the curricula used under programs such as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and the Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program. The administration's stance refers to terms like “gender ideology” which they argue should not be integrated into federally funded curricula.
As part of its defense, the administration has argued that educations funded must adhere to traditional views of gender, which has sparked backlash for potentially undermining evidence-based educational practices.
The other states joining the lawsuit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, all of which have Democratic governors.
