Despite executive orders issued during President Trump’s administration to restrict federal funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and related ideologies, several professional associations continue to receive substantial taxpayer support while promoting controversial agendas, according to a new report from the Washington Free Beacon.
The Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America, representing over 200,000 health instructors, has received more than $2.5 million in federal funding since 2020. SHAPE contributed to drafting the National Sex Education Standards, which recommend that by the end of 2nd grade, students should be able to define “gender identity” and discuss various expressions of gender. By the end of 5th grade, the standards suggest students should understand the role of hormone blockers for transgender youth and distinguish between sex assigned at birth and gender identity. By 8th grade, students are expected to define terms such as “queer,” “two-spirit,” “asexual,” and “pansexual,” and understand various types of sexual activity, including “anal sex,” as well as “abortion.”
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has received over $15 million in federal funding since 2020 from agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture. NAAEE’s programs emphasize racial and gender identity, featuring projects like “This is Indigenous Land Camp,” led by “two-spirit (2SLGBTQ+) elders,” and recommending “Gender-Affirming Sleeping Arrangements” for youth programs.
The National Council for History Education (NCHE) has been awarded over $3.8 million in federal funds since 2019. The NCHE’s “Learning and Exploring American Democracy” project hosted an “Equity Summit” featuring keynote speaker Hasan Jeffries, who advocated for the removal of monuments commemorating figures he argued are associated with white supremacy such as Christopher Columbus. In his address Hasan Jeffries, brother of US House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stated, “racism is very much encoded in our DNA” and “racism and capitalism together are really that double helix of our DNA.”
The American Psychological Association (APA) has received over $11 million in federal grants since 2020. In February, over 3,500 mental health professionals accused the APA of “virulent antisemitism,” citing instances where the organization’s listserv contained statements like “Kudos to Hamas” and calls for “Intifada, Intifada.”
John Hart, CEO of watchdog group Open the Books (OTB), emphasized the need for government accountability, stating, “Again, the freedom of assembly does not include a right to public subsidies, particularly when some associations promoting causes like DEI may be violating existing civil rights laws.”
Hart emphasized his stance that the issue is not the speech itself but rather the funding these organizations have received in the form of taxpayer dollars. “All Americans should cherish our First Amendment right of assembly,” Hart explained. “If free people want to form an association of adult babies, or people who self-identify as cats, no one should stand in their way. But that doesn’t mean they’re entitled to tax dollars to grow their ranks.”
SHAPE, NAAEE, NCHE, and the White House all declined to comment when reached out to by reporters from the Free Beacon.
