Illinois trans athlete policy brewing conflict within state
Print Close
By Jackson Thompson
Published April 19, 2025
Illinois has become the latest blue state to ensure transgender athletes can play girls sports. Republicans in the state are aggressively trying to change that.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced it will not comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls and women's sports.
In a public letter to state GOP lawmakers, the IHSA said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights have declared that state law requires that transgender athletes be allowed to participate based on gender identity.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Illinois is using a similar playbook to the one being used by Maine in its ongoing feud with the Trump administration over the issue, citing the state's human rights laws as a barrier to banning biological males from girls sports.
"As a result of the foregoing, compliance with the Executive Order could place the IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa," IHSA Board President Dan Tully wrote in the letter.
Tully added that the IHSA finds itself in "an untenable position" as the organization seeks clarity on conflicting directions from state authorities and the Trump administration.
"There is a growing narrative seeking to politicize the IHSA's response. However, as it plainly explains in the copy of the letter provided below, the IHSA is seeking clarity on conflicting state and federal law so that we can remain in compliance," an IHSA statement said.
Illinois GOP lawmakers sent their own letter to the IHSA in March asking what the body will do to change policy after Trump's executive order passed. Transgender athletes have been permitted to compete in girls sports in Illinois since 2011.
TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND
In response to the IHSA's recent announcement, several prominent state GOP lawmakers have spoken out in opposition to the rule.
Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who led the initiative to send the first letter to IHSA over the issue, told Fox News Digital he is calling on Illinois school districts and school boards to pass local resolutions banning trans athletes from girls sports.
"I think every school district needs to make it clear that we are protecting the sanctity of girls sports, and we believe in local control of those decisions," Wilhour said. "I would demand that all of your local districts take this stand and do that. Because when push comes to shove, we win on these issues, but we just need people to be bold and step out there and do the right thing."
Wilhour condemned Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic majority in the state's legislature for the state's laws that enable trans inclusion in girls sports. Wilhour added that he is calling on the Trump administration to intervene and potentially cut funding in response.
"The whole policy is sick. Either you believe in fair competition or you don't. The Democrat Party today, and specifically JB Pritzker, does not believe in fair competition. They put their woke ideology over protecting girls in sports," Wilhour said.
MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER
"[The Trump administration is] going to have to engage here, and the leverage that they've got is federal funding. We take millions in federal funding from the government every year. And we don't really savor the situation where that would be withheld. … But I'll take my chances with doing the right thing. … Banning boys from participating in girls sports is the right thing to do, so we need to do the tough things to make it happen."
Wilhour also encouraged the IHSA to overrule the state government's direction and ban trans athletes from girls sports anyway.
Maine has already seen the type of intervention that Wilhour is calling for, both internally and federally.
Maine School District 70 moved to ban trans athletes from girls sports and comply with Trump, defying state law, earlier this week.
Maine has also already seen its federal funding cut by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit against the state for its continued defiance of Trump's order.
A federal Title IX investigation is already underway in Illinois after a Deerfield mother alleged her daughter was forced to change in front of a trans student.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is facing a probe by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought light to the situation.
She filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice after alleging school administrators attempted to force her 13-year-old daughter to change in front of a transgender student in the girls locker room last month.
She revealed the complaint during a board of education meeting for Deerfield Public School District 109 last week, claiming the incident happened last month after her daughter refused to change into her uniform during physical education because a biological male student had been present.
Deerfield Public Schools District 109 responded to the investigation in a statement to Fox News Digital and, like the IHSA, cited the Illinois Human Rights Act for its protocols.
"Deerfield Public Schools District 109 complies with state law. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity, and mandates that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity," the statement said.
The district also called on families to voice their concerns over certain policies.
"The district and the board are united with our leaders and educators on this issue and have a shared commitment to upholding the law," the statement added.
"The district and the board call upon all of those expressing concerns or perspectives on this issue with our staff and educators to do so in a respectful and civil manner. We are glad to work with families to address any individual concerns and determine appropriate next steps to support your child's well-being and participation."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Print Close
URL
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/illinois-transgender-athlete-policy-sparks-controversy-state
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
19 minutes ago
- CNBC
Elon Musk's favorability among Republicans dropped 16 points since March, Quinnipiac says
Elon Musk's official role in the Trump administration recently came to an end. Many Republicans won't be sad to see less of him, according to the results of Quinnipiac University's latest public opinion survey. While a majority of Republicans still hold a favorable view of Musk, the number fell to 62% in the poll out Wednesday, down from 78% in March, Quinnipiac said. Overall, the Quinnipiac poll found that 30% of self-identified voters surveyed in the U.S. hold a favorable opinion of Musk, according to polling from June 5 to June 9. Republican and Democratic voters remain deeply divided in their views of the world's richest man, who contributed nearly $300 million to propel President Donald Trump back to the White House. Only 3% of Democrats surveyed said they held a favorable of view of the Tesla CEO, who was once seen as an environmental leader appealing to liberal values. Musk didn't respond to a request for comment. Musk and Trump had a very public falling out last week that started with Musk's disapproval of the president's spending bill and escalated into an all-out war of words that played out on social media. Musk said on Wednesday that he regretted some of the posts he made about Trump last week, adding that "they went too far." Even with a slide in his favorability, Musk is still popular among Republicans after his time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an effort to dramatically slash the size of the federal government. Among the Republican respondents to the early June poll, 80% rated Musk and DOGE's work as either excellent or good, while 13% said it was either not so good or poor. In the March poll, 82% of Republicans surveyed said they thought Musk and DOGE were helping the country. Read the full survey results here.
Boston Globe
26 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
David Hogg won't try to keep his DNC role amid dispute over Democratic primaries
Related : Advertisement He says the party Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Hogg on Wednesday decried 'a serious lack of vision from Democratic leaders, too many of them asleep at the wheel,' noting three Democratic House members have died this year after being reelected in November, leaving the party shorthanded in Washington. The culture on Capitol Hill rewards seniority and protects complacency, he said in a statement announcing his decision to walk away from his DNC role. 'If there is anything activism or history teaches us it's that comfortable people, especially comfortable people with power, do not change,' Hogg said. 'In this moment of crisis, comfort is not an option.' Related : Advertisement In April, DNC Chair Ken Martin proposed bylaw changes to require party officers to remain neutral in all Democratic primaries. Party neutrality is crucial to maintaining the confidence of voters, he argued, pointing to the bitter feud that emerged after supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign believed he was stymied by party insiders putting their thumb on the scale in favor of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who won the nomination but went on to lose the general election to Donald Trump. Hogg rose to prominence as a gun-control advocate after surviving the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
State leaders react to President Trump's Fort Novosel name change
DALE COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — President Joe Biden changed the name of Fort Rucker in southeast Alabama to Fort Novosel during his administration. That's because Gen. Edmund W. Rucker, for whom it was originally named, served as a Confederate Officer. Now, President Donald Trump is restoring that name in honor of a different veteran, also named Rucker. The name of Fort Novosel is changing back to Fort Rucker, now after Capt. Edward Rucker, a WWI pilot. Rep. Rick Rehm (R-Dothan) said the change is a good thing. 'That doesn't mean that we need to be erasing history or forgetting,' he said. 'We need more history in the schools. We need to talk about the past. How we came to today and keep working on all working together.' But Congressman Shomari Figures (D-AL) said in a statement, in part quote, 'This is really a middle finger to black people in Alabama, and the black soldiers who have to serve at this base.' Democratic leaders on the state level had similar convictions. 'People of color, such as myself, are reminded of what black people had to go through just to get to the freedoms that we have now,' said Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham). 'Wars that were fought to keep people like me enslaved.' Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith accuses district attorney of lying about severity of charges against him 'We should be past this,' said Rep. Kenyatte Hassell (D-Montgomery). 'I think this is undermining to the Biden Administration, which is the whole purpose of this.' 'Unless the Lord intervenes, we're gonna suffer,' said Rep. Thomas Jackson (D-Thomasville). 'Some difficult days, some very difficult days ahead for our nation,' he said of the current state of affairs. But, Rep. Rehm said this is not a step backward- it's a reset. 'For veterans, and army aviators, and the soldiers that serve today, it's always been known as Fort Rucker,' said Rehm. 'And so, I think it just kind of puts that controversy back, ends that controversy. It's no longer named after a Confederate general.' In a statement, the Army said they will 'take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
