State Rep. Dr. Bill Hauter (R-Morton) is responding to the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) refusal to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning biological males from participating in female sports in school athletic competitions.
Hauter is one of 40 Republican lawmakers who signed a March 17 letter demanding clarity on IHSA’s transgender participation policy.
“After nearly a month, the IHSA has finally responded to House Republicans' letter requesting how they plan to amend their policy to comply with the President’s order protecting women and girls from having to compete against biological males in sports,” Hauter told the Peoria Standard.
“IHSA’s response is baffling and wrong. IHSA has completely lost its way and has demonstrated pathetically weak leadership. Fairness and safety in sports should not be a political issue and should not be up for debate. Policies protecting same-sex sports and locker rooms must align with federal policy and Title IX interpretations to ensure the integrity of competition and the well-being of student-athletes.”
Hauter’s comments followed the IHSA’s refusal to implement a ban on biological males competing in female sports, as mandated by President Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which directs the Department of Education to enforce Title IX based on biological sex.
The executive order authorizes the withdrawal of federal funding from institutions that permit transgender athletes to participate in female athletic categories.
In its response to Hauter and other lawmakers, IHSA leadership noted that the organization does not receive any federal or state funding and is therefore not subject to the order’s financial consequences.
The IHSA framed its policy decision as a response to conflicts between state law and the executive order.
“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’s letter reads. “As a result of the foregoing, compliance with the Executive Order could place the ISA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa.”IHSA administrators have not reposnded to the Peoria Standard’s requests to clarify their position.
Hauter warned that this position could expose the state to significant legal and financial consequences.
“Now school districts and parents will have a solid basis in law to sue the state for federal civil rights violations,” Hauter said. “By standing for the demands of men over the rights of women the state of Illinois should expect to lose millions of dollars in federal aid.”
The controversy comes as the U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into for alleged Title IX violations at the Illinois Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools District 299 and Deerfield Public Schools District 109, where female students allege they were forced to undress in the presence of a transgender student.
Republicans argue that cases like Deerfield highlight the need for clear policies aligned with federal standards to protect girls’ rights to single-sex sports and facilities.
“House Republicans will continue to fight to protect the integrity and safety of all female athletes in Illinois and demand that the IHSA recognize biological reality and universal standards of fairness,” Hauter said.
Hauter represents 87th House District, which encompasses portions of DeWitt, Logan, Macon, McLean and Sangamon counties.
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