ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING ILLEGAL CONDITIONS TO PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING ILLEGAL CONDITIONS TO PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION

September 26, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) challenging unlawful conditions the Trump administration is attempting to apply to longstanding reproductive and sexual health education programs for youth. The Trump administration is threatening to pull funding directed to states for these programs if the educational materials include language affirming young people's gender identity.

"This illegal action by the Trump administration is a cruel effort to deny comprehensive, inclusive sexual education to young people for purely political reasons," Raoul said. "All students deserve to feel safe and supported at school, and I remain committed to standing up for the rights of LGBTQ+ students."

In Illinois, these federal grants at issue support comprehensive, evidence-based educational programming to reduce pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and birth rates. Many states, including Illinois, require that materials used for sexual health education programs be inclusive of all young people, regardless of their sex or gender identity. This practice is based on medical evidence and a commitment to the well-being of all students.

The coalition's complaint, which seeks to halt HHS from carrying out grant terminations, was filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon. In the suit, the attorneys general argue that HHS' actions are unconstitutional and violate the federal Administrative Procedure Act. Specifically, forcing states to avoid discussions of gender identity ignores the needs of students, is not supported by medical evidence, and has no basis in law. Raoul and the attorneys general also argue that the action is arbitrary and capricious, and that by unilaterally imposing these vague conditions, HHS unlawfully usurps Congress' spending power and violates the separation of powers.

Today's lawsuit is the most recent in Raoul's ongoing efforts to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. In August, Raoul co-led a multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's efforts to restrict access to medically necessary health care for transgender and nonbinary youth.

Earlier this month, Raoul co-led a multistate coalition opposing proposed changes to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) biennial Civil Rights Data Collection. The proposed changes would halt data collection on nonbinary students, remove "gender identity" and "sex characteristics" from the OCR's definitions of harassment and bullying on the basis of sex, cease data collection on harassment and bullying on the basis of gender identity, and remove "harassment on the basis of actual or perceived sex" from the definitions of "rape" and "sexual assault."

In March, Raoul and a coalition of attorneys general submitted comments to the U.S. Department of State opposing changes to the passport application process that would prevent transgender and nonbinary individuals from obtaining a passport that matches their gender identity. In February, Raoul and a coalition of attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of a legal challenge to the Trump administration's executive order banning transgender Americans from serving in the military.

Joining Attorney General Raoul in filing today's lawsuit are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.