NW Illinois News

State Senator Andrew Chesney and his Republican colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, seeking federal guidance on maintaining fairness in girls' and women’s high school athletics in Illinois. The initiative reflects concern over conflicting state and federal directives.

The letter, endorsed by the entire Senate Republican Caucus, signifies a collective effort to support female athletes in Illinois. Senator Chesney stated, “Through their misguided woke agenda, Democrats are turning their backs on female athletes who are being forced to compete against biological males,” underscoring a call for equal opportunities in sports under Title IX.

This move follows a recent response from the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to Republican inquiries regarding female athletes' rights. The IHSA noted guidance from the Illinois Attorney General and the Department of Human Rights, which mandates gender identity-based competition, potentially clashing with federal law.

Republican senators are asking Attorney General Bondi for clarification following President Trump’s Executive Order from February 5, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” This order seeks to ensure Title IX's original intent, emphasizing single-sex athletic participation for biological females.

The letter raises questions about Illinois’ allowance of biological males in girls' sports, potential risks of losing federal education funding, and necessary steps for compliance with federal directives. The IHSA highlighted the legal ambiguity schools face, commenting on conflicting compliance demands between state and federal laws.

“‘The [Illinois] Attorney General (‘AG’) and, more recently, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (‘IDHR’) have asserted to the IHSA that 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 IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa.’”

The letter to Bondi notes similar legal challenges in states including Maine, California, and Minnesota, with the U.S. Department of Justice arguing that permitting biological males in girls’ sports may be discriminatory under Title IX.

“While legislative Democrats continue to look the other way, my colleagues and I in the Republican caucus will continue to push back against Governor Pritzker’s diluted agenda,” Chesney commented. “I will not stand down on this issue.”

The letter to Attorney General Bondi is available for public viewing.