Today’ number: 3
Monday, Apr 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Click here for the letter. WGN…
The Illinois High School Association [last] week said it would keep in place its policy to allow transgender athletes to compete in high school sports competitions despite an executive order from President Donald Trump because the order may conflict with state law.
In a Tuesday letter, the IHSA’s board president and executive director said the Illinois Human Rights Act “requires that transgender athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender with which they identify.”
“Compliance with the Executive Order could place the IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa,” IHSA Board President Dan Tulley and Executive Director Craig Anderson wrote in response to a March letter from 40 Republican lawmakers demanding to know how the IHSA was going to “amend policy to comply with federal directives.” […]
The IHSA clarified that its transgender policy only applied to state series competition with which it sponsors. Member schools determine the participation of transgender students during the regular season.
* HGOP Leader Tony McCombie…
Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement today in response to the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) April 15 response to the House Republican Caucus, nearly a month after receiving a formal letter requesting clarity and action on federal protections for women and girls in sports:
“The IHSA has once again chosen deflection over direction, and ambiguity over action. Their response is not just late—it’s weak. Saying, ‘It’s not our problem,’ doesn’t serve the students of this state. It’s not leadership—it’s a cop-out.
“This is not about politics but student safety and delaying clarity on this issue only prolongs the problem. If state law contradicts federal law, then the path forward is to work in good faith to resolve that conflict—not hide from it and risk losing federal dollars.”
“The House Republican Caucus stands united. We call on the IHSA, the Attorney General, the Governor, and all state officials to engage with federal authorities and bring clarity to this issue before a student gets hurt—because one incident is one too many.”
I asked over the weekend what particular federal statute the state law is contradicting. Still waiting.
* Fox News…
Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who led the initiative to send the first letter to IHSA over the issue, told Fox News Digital he is calling on Illinois school districts and school boards to pass local resolutions banning trans athletes from girls sports. […]
Wilhour condemned Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic majority in the state’s legislature for the state’s laws that enable trans inclusion in girls sports. Wilhour added that he is calling on the Trump administration to intervene and potentially cut funding in response. […]
“[The Trump administration is] going to have to engage here, and the leverage that they’ve got is federal funding. 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. … Banning boys from participating in girls sports is the right thing to do, so we need to do the tough things to make it happen.”
* Alton Telegraph…
Republican State Representative Amy Elik from Alton was one of the signers of the letter to the IHSA. […]
Alton High School athletic director Chris Kusnerick said that in his six years at AHS, the issue has not come up.
“We’ve have not, to my knowledge, had any requests,” Kusnerick said. “I don’t know if there have been any at any school in our conference.”
Kusnerick indicated that the Alton School District does not have a specific policy on transgender participation and that any cases would be taken up and handled by the district’s board of education.
* You’d never know it to look at the breathless coverage, but the numbers are infinitesimally small…
Out of more than 320,000 high school athletes across the state, only three students assigned male at birth were approved in the past year to compete in girls’ sports, while two were approved the previous year.
Just three people and yet Wilhour wants all public schools in the state to lose their federal funding.
- Anyone Remember - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 1:39 pm:
On this issue, GOP / Trumpers remind me of the neighborhood prude who was told police wouldn’t accept a public nudity complaint against her neighbor - he was only visible chest up. Her reply was “Stand on my ladder, stand on my ladder!”
- clec dcn - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 1:41 pm:
No matter how small the number only males should compete against males and females against females. The gender being our biological birth of course. I don’t even care so much about funding and such just basic common sense. Males and females are very different but I am sure in the minority at least some think in Illinois.
- Lonely Lisle - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 1:43 pm:
You would think the “good faith negotiators” would be able to quickly point to the federal law the State is contradicting so we could address the issue quickly and in good faith
- OneMan - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 1:46 pm:
I know I am a broken record on this, if you are worried about school sports being “fair” the resource differences between schools contributes about a million times more than 3 atheletes competing in the state series
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 1:59 pm:
===the resource differences between schools===
Good point.
- H-W - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:01 pm:
Yep. Three.
If by chance one of these three young citizens wins a position on a team, and if by chance one of these three young citizens wins an award, we should be so very, very proud of that young citizen as we would any and all of our children.
If on the other hand, there is a parent who is upset because one of their children did not win the position on the team that this transgender student won, there are solutions. Compete harder.
And if one of these three transgender students wins an award at an individual level meet, there are also solutions. Compete harder.
Alternatively, one right and righteous solution might be to allow all transgender students to compete everywhere, and not allow districts to overrule. If we did this, then we could use the times in swimming, track, etc. to keep a state register of all times, and allow transgender people to compete among themselves for state recognition. But until we have a systemic solution, compete harder if you are beaten by other children of any gender.
- TNR - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:01 pm:
No doubt, the sheer lack of trans athletes indicates this is hardly the most important issue we are facing as a society. Heck, it’s probably not in the top 500. But the Republicans have public opinion squarely in their corner on this, so they’re gonna ride it for all it’s worth.
- Excitable Boy - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:08 pm:
- No matter how small the number only males should compete against males and females against females. -
I’m from Forgottonia and have squared off against a biological female who played defensive line for another school nearby. It seemed like every other year there was a female on one of the football teams in the area, baseball too.
At elite levels I’m a little uncomfortable with trans females having an edge over biological females, in high school sports not so much. Shut up and let the kids play.
- anon2 - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:16 pm:
Like it or not, this is an issue that contributed to Harris’ defeat. Will Democrats doubledown on this 80/20 culture war issue?
- Norseman - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:17 pm:
OneMan, excellent point.
McCombie’s statement is baloney. “This is not about politics but student safety …” Of course this is simply about politics - MAGA GOP hate politics. There has been no evidence that there is any safety issue among the minute number of trans athletes participating in sports.
“If state law contradicts federal law, …” McCombie needs to understand that EO’s are not federal laws.
- clec dcn - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:25 pm:
@EB, I don’t want to shut my thoughts are as good as anyone else here and kids should be taught about many issues including these. I did not make the basketball team when I was in 9th grade, and they did not let me play. Had nothing to do with my gender at the time. But they did not shut up and let me play. There is more to this in principle.
- Excitable Boy - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:28 pm:
- my thoughts are as good as anyone else here -
Yeah, I don’t think so.
- this is an issue that contributed to Harris’ defeat. -
Please show the data that indicates this.
- KSDinCU - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:53 pm:
DQ, the WBEZ report you’re citing says, “The state sports organization estimates there are about 25 trans athletes out of 133,000 statewide, about three or four of which are trans girls.” This matches the 3 number cited in this post. No one seems to be worried about trans boys.
- just the facts - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 2:59 pm:
Illinois loses Fed $ over the issue of MC helmets. When you accept federal money you play by their rules. Is this the hill that JB wants to die on as he has POTUS aspirations?
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:01 pm:
Be interesting to know what sport they played. And 3 kids? Probably all graduate or tire of the sport before long so in the grand scheme of things not a number one priority for the state I would think
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:02 pm:
===Illinois loses Fed $ over the issue of MC helmets===
Nope.
===you play by their rules===
A likely unenforceable EO is not a rule.
- anon2 - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:05 pm:
== Please show the data that indicates this (how the trans issue helped Trump win).==
“Not only did Trump’s ads on the trans issue shift viewers 2.7 percent toward Trump in the states they ran in (more than his margin of victory), the issue was particularly potent for swing voters.
“When swing voters were given 25 possible reasons for why they didn’t vote for Harris, the statement that she “
‘focused more on cultural issues like transgender issues than helping the middle class’ was the most-cited reason by those who chose Trump. Number One. I repeat: more swing voters voted for Trump on that issue than on inflation or immigration.”
~ Andrew Sullivan quoted by Eric Zorn
- Homebody - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:13 pm:
== Like it or not, this is an issue that contributed to Harris’ defeat. Will Democrats doubledown on this 80/20 culture war issue? ==
It is depressing that “How should Democrats respond politically to Republicans making 1 in 100,000 children into imaginary bogeymen” and the answer is anything other than “emphasize how weird and dishonest Republicans are.”
Why would I vote for someone who is willing to throw a regularly victimized minority group under the bus to appease the liars?
- H-W - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:18 pm:
Let’s look at this from a different, objective perspective.
I am sure Wilhour and McCombie will be the first to agree that we need to entitle and enable all children and students, equal access to physical activities and sports. And indeed, that is the intention of the U.S. Congress regarding Title IX - equal access regardless of social category.
So if McCombie and Wilhour and Elik are absolutely opposed to allowing some children to participate in girls sports, then what is their proposed solution? Is it to force transgender students to compete against boys? If competing against girls is untenable to some folks, then competing against boys is equally untenable.
If some people want to exclude transgender people, then these people need to create a new way to include transgender children that (a) does no harm, and (b) provides equal opportunity.
I am always shocked that these people are absolutely opposed to even allowing transgender children to participate with girls. Why not? If it is trophies, then create a new scenario that empowers both girls and transgender girls. But excluding transgender girls from girls sports and forcing transgender girls to compete against boys is punitive, not corrective. Corrective might look like creating separate divisions within girls (and boys) sports so that all children compete at their best levels, and those who excel are rewarded within potentially new categories.
Currently, the Republican proposal is to intentionally punish transgender children, so as to not potentially harm other children. Surely, this is a violation of God’s Will for his children, and our society’s obligation to serve all children. If Republicans can articulate a way to exclude, they absolutely must provide a solution that includes. Currently, they have none.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:32 pm:
=Illinois loses Fed $ over the issue of MC helmets=
This is a common myth, and while ABATE is powerful. Remember that Illinois has not lost Fed funds since way back in 1995- so let’s get facts straight…
“The last change occurred in 1995 when Congress repealed financial incentives for states without universal helmet laws.13 As of April 2008, 20 states had universal helmet laws, 27 required only young riders to wear helmets, and 3 (Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire) had no mandatory helmet policy for any riders.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2661439/#:~:
text=The%20last%20change%20occurred%20in
,states%20without%20universal%20helmet%2
0laws.&text=As%20of%20April%202008%
2C%2020,helmet%20policy%20for%20any%20riders.
- JS Mill - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:41 pm:
=Illinois loses Fed $ over the issue of MC helmets. When you accept federal money you play by their rules. Is this the hill that JB wants to die on as he has POTUS aspirations?=
Just curious if you feel the same when parochial schools take state money? Shouldn’t they follow all of the state rules? Homeschool advocates still want their kids to have access to drivers Ed and other courses but don’t even want to let us know their kids exist. A bit hypocritical in my estimation.
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:50 pm:
So a state representative is ADVOCATING for the state’s funding to be cut? Heckuva job you’re doing representing us there Representative. Advocating for your own state to lose funds.
- No Raise - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:51 pm:
Just checking back on Illinois politics. Thank God I retired and moved away. What a disgrace. Sure it’s 3 guys. If so, then quit making a mockery of girls sports just to pacify 3 guys.
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:52 pm:
==Is this the hill that JB wants to die on==
Donald Trump is a bully and you don’t give in to bullies. It amazes me that Republicans have in the past screamed at the top of their lungs for the federal government to keep their hands off of things and now they are tripping all over themselves to placate Donald Trump, cheering on his dictatorial actions and demanding that people bow down to what his federal government is demanding (through an Executive Order no less; not even a law).
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:54 pm:
==I did not make the basketball team when I was in 9th grade, and they did not let me play.==
lolololol. You’re “taking a stand” on this out of “principle” because you didn’t make the 9th grade basketball team? That would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic.
- old guy - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:57 pm:
A convicted felon in the white house distracts attention by picking on a miniscule number of trans-kids…that’s our America today.
- Whimper - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 3:57 pm:
“ If Republicans can articulate a way to exclude, they absolutely must provide a solution that includes. Currently, they have none.”
Let those 3 play Rock, Paper Scissors!
As the father of a former female athlete, who participated in basketball, track and cross country at high school and small college levels, I find it fundamentally unfair that she could have been forced to compete against male or males. I stand for Title IX and the struggles past made to give women a level playing field!
Why anyone would want to die on that hill is beyond me.
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 4:02 pm:
==Sure it’s 3 guys==
Let the hatemongering begin.
Calling those students “guys” just shows the kind of person you are and it’s not a good one.
- Original Rambler - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 4:03 pm:
OneMan with a very good comment and worthy of contemplation.
Dems may not like it but TNR also with a good point. I agree with them that this issue, regardless of the number of students it impacts, moves persuadable voters in the middle to the GOP.
- Annonin' - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 4:04 pm:
The House Republican Caucus stands united. We call on the IHSA, the Attorney General, the Governor, and all state officials to engage with federal authorities…. It appears TMac forgot to call on Santa Claus, RootieKazooTee and SpongeBob to join into this righteous crusade.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 4:08 pm:
===Why anyone would want to die on that hill===
Second time someone has used that phrase in this post.
In 2016, Trump embraced them: “As your President, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”
So, if you think you can predict what the top non-economic issue will be in 2028, you’re deluded.
The last election is over. Times often change in ways we cannot comprehend beforehand.
Get on to governing.
- H-W - Monday, Apr 21, 25 @ 4:27 pm:
@ Whimper
=== As the father of a former female athlete ===
Stand in line, big guy. I have a daughter too.
=== I find it fundamentally unfair that she could have been forced to compete ===
Read my post. Offer a solution. Do not suggest we remove (punish) transgender children in order to appease what never happened to your daughter. Your “fear” is unfounded. But your “fear” is oppressive, and discriminatory without justification. Offer a solution, not a prejudice.