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Fox News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois trans athlete conflict grows after tense track meet as state Republicans call for Trump's help
Print Close By Jackson Thompson Published May 21, 2025 Tensions are mounting over trans athletes in girls' sports in Illinois, as the state continues to allow males to compete against and beat out females in sports across the state. A youth track meet became the focus of national controversy after a biological male competed in the seventh-grade competition against girls at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet last Wednesday. The incident prompted a series of heated debates, which went viral on social media, at the Naperville 203 Community School District Board meeting on Monday. Now, Illinoisans are speaking out, calling for President Donald Trump to crack down on the state and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to protect girls' sports. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., has addressed a second letter to the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice asking for federal intervention into the issue. Miller previously sent a letter earlier in May and is now doubling-down on her pleas for the Trump administration to step in. Miller's latest letter asks U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to specifically look into the Naperville incident and consider pulling federal funding from the state, as seen in a copy obtained by Fox News Digital. "The Illinois Governor has made our beautiful state unfair and unsafe for women and girls by allowing men to compete in their sports and to use their showers and locker rooms. It is my strong opinion that any school district that allows these actions to continue should have its federal funds reviewed immediately for revocation," Miller wrote. "Ultimately, it is my understanding that violations of Title IX may have taken place at this track and field meet, and I write to bring this grave incident to your attention." Illinois GOP state Rep. Blaine Wilhour is also calling for a federal investigation and potential consequences in the wake of the Naperville incident. "President Trump should freeze every penny of federal dollars until these schools come to their senses and do right by these kids," Wilhour told Fox News Digital. "Either you believe in fairness, biological reality and common sense, or you don't. This is not fair competition and Naperville 203 is engaged in what I consider abusive and illegal practices in violation of title 9. Wake up people, these are Jr. High kids being exploited and used as political pawns, and it's disgusting." TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND Wilhour was previously a leader in putting pressure on the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to comply with Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order that was signed on Feb. 5. However, the state's Democrat leaders ensured the IHSA defied Trump on the issue. In a public letter to Wilhour and other 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. So girls around the state and their families have had to continue sharing teams and locker rooms with biological males, as they have since 2006. Even Chicago Bears legend Brian Urlacher has spoken out on the issue while his home state is ravaged by controversy. "It's just different because we are men, there are certain things we do better than women, and it's just, number one, it's not fair, and if I had a daughter who had to be forced to play against a man, I would not be okay with it and I would raise hell about it," Urlacher said during an interview on the "Global View" podcast on May 9. "I just don't get it, it's a common sense thing, I just don't see how you can push this and make someone thing they're a different sex." Currently, there is one federal Title IX probe in Illinois regarding transgenders impeding on female spaces, but it is only against one school. Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is facing a probe by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after middle school girls were allegedly forced by school administrators to change in front of a trans student in the girls' locker room. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought light to the situation in March after filing a complaint to the Justice Department and then delivering a school board meeting speech that went viral on social media. Now, Georgas is looking for more action to be taken as the issue continues to plague girls' sports in Illinois and hopes the recent Naperville incident will be a turning point. She is pleading for the president's administration to bring more pressure to Illinois on the issue. "The tides are going to turn after this. We as the parents have had enough," Georgas told Fox News Digital. "We are at the forefront, we are in the crosshairs and we need help. We need help right now. In our state nothing has changed from March, and it's getting worse! "They're using these kids to just almost test President Trump because they know they're not doing anything. They've forgotten about Illinois. They've forgotten about us." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Print Close URL
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Bears legend Brian Urlacher shares stance on trans athletes in girls' sports as issue rocks Illinois
Former Chicago Bears star linebacker Brian Urlacher made his stance known on the issue of transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports as the debate creates a divide in the state where he made his reputation – Illinois. Urlacher shared his opinion on the issue during an interview on the "Global View" podcast on May 9 and questioned why it is even a debate in some circles. "Why is it even a debate? A woman is a woman and a man is a man… you're born with what you're born with," Urlacher said. Urlacher even referenced an ongoing controversy in Minnesota, where a transgender pitcher is currently dominating the girls' softball season. The trans athlete reportedly won 14 straight games heading into the playoffs and earned first-team All-State honors rocked the state in recent weeks. "It's just different because we are men, there are certain things we do better than women, and it's just, number one, it's not fair, and if I had a daughter who had to be forced to play against a man I would not be okay with it and I would raise hell about it," Urlacher said. "I just don't get it, it's a common sense thing, I just don't see how you can push this and make someone thing they're a different sex." The Pro Football Hall of Famer praised President Donald Trump for signing the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order at the White House on Feb. 5. Illinois has become a hotbed of controversy over the issue of trans athlete inclusion in recent days after a biological male competed in a seventh-grade track meet against biological females at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet. The incident resulted in a Naperville 203 Community School District Board meeting descending into a heated debate over the issue on Monday. Awake Illinois has filed a civil rights complaint against the district, with the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights alleging a violation of Title IX. They called on federal funds to be withheld from the district, which it says receives between $8 million and $9 million in federal grants annually. The complaint is part of a broader effort by Awake Illinois, which previously filed similar Title IX complaints against other districts and the Illinois State Board of Education. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tensions flare at school board meeting after trans athlete wins multiple track events
Parents and residents clashed at a school board meeting in Chicago on Monday after a trans junior high school student won multiple events at a local track meet. The Naperville 203 Community School District Board meeting was at times contentious, with roughly 100 people in attendance, split between the main room and an overflow viewing area. Those in support of the trans athlete waved the blue, pink and white striped transgender flag, while those advocating for athletes to compete against people of the same biological sex held signs reading "Protect girls sports" and "Defend Title IX," a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. California Track Meet Turns To Political Rally Over Trans Athletes As Schools Speak Out Vs. State The controversy centered around a biological male who competed in a 7th grade track meet against biological females at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet, with attendees at the meeting sharply divided on the issue. "These situations place feelings over reason and force other students and families to participate in something we all know is a lie," parent Mike LaBelle said. Read On The Fox News App Naperville resident Doug MacGregor said there is a hidden political agenda behind district policies. "Many of us knew then the achievement gap was just a Trojan horse for DEI's real objective, pronouns and the radical LGBTQ-plus agenda," MacGregor said. "Naperville parents will spend literally tens of thousands of dollars on sports throughout their daughters lives: travel teams, coaches, summer camps, traveling to tournaments and meets, etc. and when their daughter steps up for her chance to win a state championship or medal," he said. "She'll lose to a biological male. That once in a lifetime moment gone because of DEI's political agenda." Those defending the trans athlete included Dorothy Powers, a parent of six who is non-binary. Powers argued that forcing students to compete in a gender category that does not match their identity harms their personal development. "When a student is forced to compete in a gender with which he or she does not identify, education is a choice," Powers said. "America began providing public education in 1635. Will Naperville continue the proud American tradition of forward progress, or try to justify exclusion? For those who are non-binary, of course I include. I encourage inclusion." Illinois Trans Athlete Policy Brewing Conflict Within State Parent Tim Thompson said the controversy is not truly about races or a specific athlete, but rather part of a broader effort to target transgender students. "Don't be fooled. It was never about a race, and it was never about an athlete," Thompson said. "This is an attempt to further marginalize the group and tell them that they don't belong, that they aren't good enough." Awake Illinois has filed a civil rights complaint against the district, with the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights alleging a violation of Title IX. They called on federal funds to be withheld from the district, which it says receives between $8 million and $9 million in federal grants annually. The complaint is part of a broader effort by Awake Illinois, which previously filed similar Title IX complaints against other districts and the Illinois State Board of Education. Shannon Adcock of Awake Illinois also spoke out at the meeting. "Now in 2025, you've got boys stealing girls' victories, leaving young girls sobbing on the track," Adcock said. "This isn't inclusion. It's oppression." Meanwhile, Lauren Hruby said that a solution may be to give trans students a different class of sports to compete against one another. "But I think for women, I don't think we stand a chance against a male," she said. "I know a lot of these girls practice their entire life to try to get a scholarship, and there's a lot lost opportunities, so I just wanted to come and support women in women's sports." Fox News' Patrick McGovern contributed to this report. Original article source: Tensions flare at school board meeting after trans athlete wins multiple track events
