The Biden HHS Grants Rule ties federal government funding to a destructive lie about human identity and sexuality. Mandating that “sex” includes SOGI would impose catastrophic changes to these programs. For example:   

• Head Start, the universal federal preschool program for low-income families, could be expected to teach preschoolers about multiple sexual and gender “identities” as part of Social and Emotional learning objectives to “describe self using several different characteristics.”
• Community Mental Health and related block grant programs would require affirming a deception that people can be “born in the wrong body” and encourage gender transition treatments that destroy healthy bodies.
• Maternal and Child Health grants could deny that mothers are exclusively female. Any male who self-identifies as a “woman” could claim the need for chest reconstruction and  “chestfeeding” assistance.  
• Child health programs would be sacrificed on the altar of gender ideology, advocating puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and surgeries on kids causing irreversible harm.   
• Family violence prevention programs could handcuff parents with demands to accept a daughter’s desire to cut off her breasts to be a “boy” or face charges of child abuse or neglect.

The Biden HHS Grants Rule pays lip service to First Amendment freedoms. Any exception to gender ideology mandates based on sincerely held beliefs requires a “Mother May I” plea to HHS agents. Any faith-based recipient committed to upholding traditional beliefs about sexuality would trigger a federal enforcement review process that could turn the shield of religious liberty into a sword of liability.  

Congress never authorized HHS to rewrite the meaning of “sex.” Like Title IX, Biden is rewriting laws in violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers.  Supreme Court decisions provide no legitimate justification for this Rule.

Please join CWA in opposing this radical change to major federal programs. Submit your comment today!