The Trump administration is threatening to cut federal funding for sex education programs in Nevada and other states unless they remove references to diverse gender identities, which officials refer to as “gender ideology,” from their curriculum within 60 days. 

Administration officials said in Tuesday letters to 46 states and territories, including Nevada, that these subjects previously approved under the Biden administration are no longer in compliance with the federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program’s (PREP) federal statute and are irrelevant to teaching abstinence and contraception.

The federal PREP program is intended to reduce teenage pregnancy and partners with states to educate young people on abstinence and contraception. It targets young people who are homeless, in foster care, living in rural areas or areas with high teen birth rates or are from minority groups, including sexual minorities, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) states on its website. 

In Nevada, the program covers three areas: adolescent development, healthy life skills and healthy relationships. The state program partners with organizations such as Carson City Health and Human Services and The Center, a Las Vegas nonprofit that provides support and services to LGBTQ+ community members, to serve youth ages 13-19.

The program is separate from the sex education curriculum offered by school districts. 

The Nevada State Health Division, which oversees Nevada’s program, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

If Nevada fails to comply with the directive, the federal government said it could withhold, suspend or terminate about $1 million in federal funding for the PREP program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a Tuesday statement this threat to withhold funding “reflects the Trump Administration’s ongoing commitment to protecting children from attempts to indoctrinate them with delusional ideology.”

“Accountability is coming,” said acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison in a Tuesday press release. 

This comes after the department announced last week it terminated California’s nearly $6 million a year grant after the state refused to comply with the administration’s requirements. 

The ACF flagged areas where the Nevada’s content and materials made references to subjects such as diverse sexual and gender identities including transgender individuals, LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender affirming care. 

“We are aware that these curricula and other program materials were previously approved by ACF,” the letter states. “However, the prior administration erred in allowing PREP grants to be used to teach students gender ideology because that approval exceeded the agency’s authority to administer the program consistent with the authorizing legislation as enacted by Congress.”

The state is required to submit proof of the updated materials no later than Oct. 27.