BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois High School Association has told Republican state lawmakers that it’s still seeking clarity regarding transgender athletes in competitions.
The letter, sent Tuesday and signed by IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson and Board President Dan Tully, was a response to 40 Republican lawmakers last month, insisting the organization comply with a Trump executive order regarding transgender participation in sports.
The letter states the IHSA ”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.”
The letter also notes how the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois Department of Human Rights cite the Illinois Human Rights Act to require transgender athletes to be permitted to participate in events and programs with the gender that they identify with.
The IHSA says that leaves it in an “untenable position” because the Executive Order could make the organization in noncompliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act.
The IHSA also states the policy would only apply to state series competitions, and that member schools would determine participation during the regular season.
State Senator Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia), whose district covers portions of Peoria and Tazewell Counties, says he was “disgusted” by the response.
In a statement, Anderson says the IHSA’s ”endorsement of biological males competing in girls’ sports is not just irresponsible, it’s a betrayal of every female athlete who has worked hard to earn her place.”
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