On Tuesday, March 18, State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) joined all Republicans in the Senate and House in sending a joint letter to the Executive Director of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), requesting a written response for how the IHSA plans to comply with President Trump’s executive order prohibiting biological males from participating in women’s high school sports.
“Biological males have undeniable physical advantages, including higher muscle mass, which gives them an inherent edge over females in sports that rely on strength, endurance, and speed,” said Chesney. “It’s an issue of safety and fairness. Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports creates an uneven playing field and limits opportunities for women to excel in their chosen sport.”
Specifically, Republican lawmakers are seeking confirmation that IHSA will be enacting policies that align with recent federal directives ensuring fairness in high school athletics, specifically protecting single-sex sports for female athletes. The letter highlights the need for 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.
President Trump’s executive order of February 5, 2025, states, “…it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
Chesney pointed to the case of Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who won the NCAA Division I national championship in the women’s 500-yard freestyle, sparking a debate about the inclusion of biological males in women’s sports at the highest levels of competition. “We can’t say we are providing women with equal opportunities when we allow men to dominate in women’s sports,” added Chesney. “I look forward to the IHSA’s response on this important issue.”
Click here to read the letter.
