The Illinois Republican Senate Caucus has not received any feedback from IHSA member schools interested in authoring a by-law amendment concerning transgender participation in IHSA athletics, according to State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia).
State Sen. Anderson and the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus sent a letter to the Executive Director of the IHSA in March, requesting clarification on the organization’s policies regarding transgender athletes in high school sports in the state. Republican lawmakers want Illinois’ policies to comply with federal guidelines that prohibit students from participating in single-sex sports based on gender identity if it does not align with their birth sex.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson responded with a letter last month saying transgender high school athletes could continue participating in sports based on their gender identity in Illinois. In part, the response said, “The Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois Department of Human Resources have asserted to the IHSA that the Illinois Human Rights Act requires that athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender which they identify.”
Local U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requesting an investigation into the IHSA’s transgender participation policy last month.