Last month, House Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the Illinois High School Sports Association to ask for clarification on how current policies will be amended to align with the Executive Order. Instead of action, the IHSA chose to deflect responsibility. That lack of direction has spurred further response from lawmakers, including State Representative Tom Weber (Lake Villa) and State Representative Regan Deering (Decatur), who spoke out at a press conference to relay their own pieces of legislation to create clarity for women across Illinois.
“Our objective here is simple – to protect the many female student athletes here in Illinois who are facing undue challenges when competing,” said Rep. Weber. “Women have fought for decades to have equal athletic opportunities through Title IX, and we cannot let those great strides turn into steps backward. By designating interscholastic and intercollegiate teams as male, female, or co-ed, we can protect women’s sports by ensuring every athlete has access to safe and competitive opportunities.”
Representative Weber has filed House Bill 4027 to require public schools and colleges that have interscholastic or intercollegiate athletics to provide equal athletic opportunities for members of both sexes. The bill lays out clear requirements that schools designate sports teams as either male, female, or co-ed, and prohibits biological males from competing for or against teams designated for females.
State Representative Regan Deering has also backed a measure in the Illinois House, House Bill 1117, which would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female, or co-ed, with students only being able to participate on teams that match their biological sex.
“Fairness in girls’ sports is not up for negotiation,” said Rep. Deering. “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.”
The lawmakers were joined today by two young women who have advocated for safety and fairness in women’s sports: Kaitlynn and Abbigail Wheeler, who are Riley Gaines Center Ambassadors. They were able to provide testimonials during today’s press conference to further express the need for change to protect women in sports.