JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri is one of 40 states the federal government has told to remove all references to gender identity in sexual health education programs — or risk losing millions in funding.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received a letter Tuesday from the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. It demanded that gender identity references be removed from federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) materials within 60 days.

Federal PREP funds support state programs on adolescent health and sex education, targeting groups with high teen birth rates, such those in foster care or in rural areas.

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