GOP Leaders Push Back on IHSA Gender Policy
- Sangamon County News
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Last week, two Republican lawmakers from Central Illinois, State Senator Steve McClure and State Representative Regan Deering, took firm stands to defend the integrity of girls’ and women’s athletics.
Senator McClure (R-Springfield) joined every member of the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus in calling on the U.S. Attorney General to review Illinois’ current policies for transgender athletes in light of a recent executive order from President Donald Trump. The executive order bars biological males from participating in female-designated sports, and the senators want clarity on how Illinois can comply.
Their request comes after the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) stated it would continue allowing athletes to compete in sports based on gender identity. McClure criticized the decision, saying, “It’s obvious that the IHSA does not want to protect fair competition in girls’ high school sports. We need the federal government to step in and get our state in line with what the vast majority of parents and students are demanding. Biological males should not be competing against females in sports.”
Meanwhile, at the Illinois Capitol, House Republicans held a press conference to highlight their legislative response to the issue. Representative Regan Deering (R-Decatur) joined her colleague, Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa), in unveiling legislation aimed at protecting fairness in school athletics.
Deering is sponsoring House Bill 1117, which would require all school sports teams to be designated as male, female, or co-ed, and would restrict participation based on students’ biological sex. “Fairness in girls’ sports is not up for negotiation,” Deering said. “Privacy and safety are not political issues. I refuse to stay silent while unelected bureaucrats and politically pressured institutions make decisions that compromise our daughters’ futures.”
Rep. Weber’s bill, House Bill 4027, echoes a similar approach by setting standards for public schools and colleges to ensure equal athletic opportunities for both sexes while preventing biological males from competing on female teams.
The lawmakers were joined by local advocates Kaitlynn and Abbigail Wheeler, Riley Gaines Center Ambassadors, who shared personal testimonies in support of the measures.
