East Central Reporter

State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) is calling on parents and local school boards to push back against the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) refusal to comply with a federal executive order restricting biological males who identify as female from competing in girls' sports.  

In an interview with East Central Reporter, Miller accused the organization of ignoring biological realities and jeopardizing fairness in girls’ athletics.

“Instead of standing up for the truth and protecting athletes, the IHSA is playing along with the liberal make-believe fairy tale that a dude can be a girl,” Miller said.  “It's ridiculous, and it is time that we put the IHSA and others on notice - we will not tolerate this anymore.” 

Miller’s comments come amid growing political tension over the IHSA’s transgender participation policy, which permits biological boys to compete in girls sports. The IHSA has stated its policy is in line with the Illinois Human Rights Act and guidance from the state attorney general’s office.

“I do not support boys playing in girls’ sports,” Miller said. “A biological male has no place in women’s sports, locker rooms, or bathrooms.” 

Miller urged constituents to get involved at the local level.

“Parents need to call on their local school boards to question not only their school policy, but their stance on the IHSA’s complacency,” he said.

IHSA reiterated its stance in response to a March letter from 40 Republican lawmakers—including Miller—seeking clarity on IHSA’s policy in regard to President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” 

Trump’s directive mandates that women’s athletic categories be reserved for individuals assigned female at birth and threatens to rescind federal funding from institutions that fail to comply.

The executive order further directs the Departments of Education and Justice to enforce compliance, instructs agencies to reassess grant programs and calls for diplomatic pressure on international sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, to adopt sex-based eligibility standards. It also orders immigration authorities to restrict entry of males into the country who seek to compete in women’s divisions.

The IHSA Board of Directors has declined to comment publicly on the issue, despite mounting pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups.

IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha noted the organization has not changed its policy and that no new vote had been taken by its Board of Directors. 

He emphasized that the IHSA is a private organization that receives no federal or state funding, making it unaffected by the executive order’s financial enforcement mechanisms.

“There has been no recent vote by the IHSA Board on this matter,” Troha told Prairie State Wire. “Per our letter, there is a law in Illinois that has existed for many years that allows participation by transgender student-athletes in IHSA State Series (post-season) competition. President Trump’s Executive Order obviously conflicts with that, and we have reached out to state lawmakers seeking clarification on remaining in legal compliance.”

The conflict has intensified as the ISHA's letter comes on the heels of a Title IX investigation into complaints from female students at Deerfield Middle School who allege they were required to undress in the presence of a transgender peer in a girls’ locker room. 

The conservative group Awake Illinois has also condemned the IHSA, accusing it of “sacrificing the rights of girls to appease gender ideology.”

Meanwhile, former high school swimmer Abbigail Wheeler, who was removed from her YMCA team in 2023 after objecting to sharing a locker room with a biological male transgender teammate, continues to advocate for female-only spaces in sports.

Miller represents House District 101, which includes parts of Coles, Douglas, Champaign, Ford and Vermilion counties.