"The Illinois Human Rights Act requires that transgender athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender they identify."
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has announced it will not comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at protecting female sports from the participation of biological males who identify as women.
IHSA President Dan Tully issued a letter to Republican lawmakers in the state explaining that following the federal directive would conflict with the Illinois Human Rights Act, per Fox News.
“The Illinois Human Rights Act requires that transgender athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender they identify,” the letter stated.
The IHSA, which governs athletics for 809 schools and does not receive state or federal funding, also said that guidance has been sought from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Daily Mail reported. Tully called for state lawmakers to work with the Trump administration on an agreement that avoids conflicting policies, stating that the association “simply desires to comply with the law and takes no position as to which of the foregoing is correct or whether there can be alignment between claimed federal and state law.”
Illinois has had a policy since 2011 allowing transgender-identifying athletes to compete in the category that matches their claimed gender identity rather than biological sex. According to the IHSA website, eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether the gender identity is “bona fide and/or for the purpose of gaining competitive advantage.”
State Representative Blaine Wilhour criticized the IHSA’s decision and suggested the Trump administration should consider cutting federal funding to Illinois in response.
“The whole policy is sick,” Wilhour told Fox News. “Either you believe in fair competition or you don't. The Democrat Party today... does not believe in fair competition. They put their woke ideology over protecting girls in sports.”
“[The Trump administration is] going to have to engage here, and the leverage that they've got is federal funding,” he continued. “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.”
The conflict in Illinois follows a similar dispute in Maine, where state officials have also refused to comply with the president’s directive. The Trump administration has warned that Maine’s education agency is in violation of Title IX anti-discrimination law by allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports.
“Pretty simple: girls play in girls' sports, boys play in boys' sports. Men play in men's sports, women play in women's sports,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who outlined the administration’s stance on the issue. “President Trump, before he was elected, this has been a huge issue for him.”
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