Naperville, Ill. — At the Naperville School District 203 Board Meeting on Monday, June 2, over 60 people were in attendance. The meeting continued a debate over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete based on gender identity rather than biological sex. The debate started at a May 19 board meeting following the girls’ track meet on May 14 where a transgender Jefferson Junior High School student won three track events.
Naperville North High School sophomore Lily Flavin spoke to address the controversy transgender athletes in women’s sports. Flavin opened her speech by sharing a story of a serious head injury she endured while playing field hockey that ultimately put her in the hospital. She left with a minor concussion and 77 stitches, but wondered if it could have been worse.
“As this issue starts becoming more of a reality, the question wonders into my head, ‘What if it was a male who hit me in the head?’” Flavin asked the audience at the meeting.
In the state of Illinois, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and Illinois Human Rights Protection Act administered by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) protect transgender athletes in female sports. After President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to prevent transgender participation in women’s sports, the IHSA responded to Republican lawmakers on April 15 that it would keep the policy despite Trump’s action.
“The Illinois Attorney General and, more recently, the Illinois Department of Human Rights 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,” the IHSA said. “As a result … compliance with the [President’s] Executive Order could place the IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa.”
The IHSA clarified that its transgender policy only determines the rules for a state series competition. During the regular season, the decision is left to individual schools for transgender participation.
At the board meeting, Flavin noted that while she believes transgender athletes deserve respect and inclusion, she voiced concerns about whether the policy was providing equal opportunities for girls and women in sports.
“So I ask you [Naperville 203] board members: Where will you draw the line to protect women’s rights?” Flavin ended her speech.
