Congresswoman Mary Miller calls for federal investigations into Illinois over trans athletes in girls' sports
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital addressed to the Departments of Education and Justice, Miller pleaded for the agencies to investigate after the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) said it would continue allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports.
"I am writing to express my deep concern regarding a recent decision by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which has chosen to blatantly disregard federal law and reject basic biological reality by allowing biological males to compete in girls' athletic programs. This misguided policy not only undermines the integrity and fairness of girls' sports, but it also jeopardizes the safety of young women across our state," Miller wrote.
"I respectfully urge the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to investigate the actions of IHSA and the State of Illinois and take appropriate measures to ensure that federal civil rights protections are upheld."
Miller provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the letter, and condemning Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
"I'm calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary Linda McMahon to launch an immediate investigation into the IHSA and the State of Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and radical Illinois Democrats must be held accountable for enforcing abusive, anti-science gender policies ahead of the safety of our daughters and the fairness of girls' sports," Miller said.
Transgender athletes have been permitted to compete in girls' sports in Illinois since 2011.
Illinois became one of the many blue states to openly defy Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order after it was signed on Feb. 5.
In a public letter to state GOP lawmakers last week, the IHSA said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights have declared that state law requires that transgender athletes be allowed to participate based on gender identity. The IHSA cited the state's human rights laws as a barrier to banning biological males from girls' sports.
That letter came in response to GOP lawmakers sending their own letter to the IHSA in March asking what the body would do to change policy after Trump's executive order passed.
"The Illinois High School Association has crossed a dangerous line. By blatantly violating federal law and rejecting biological reality, they are not only undermining fairness in girls' sports – they're putting the safety of young women at risk," Miller told Fox News Digital.
A federal Title IX investigation is already underway in Illinois after a Deerfield mother alleged her daughter was forced to change in front of a trans student. Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is facing a probe by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought light to the situation.
Georgas has now told Fox News Digital she is also worried about her daughter's athletic future because of the IHSA's ruling.
"Imagine your daughter, dedicating her life, training for years, hours and hours a week, for her championship state race, only to face a male beating her and winning that coveted scholarship. How is that at all fair? Our daughter's dedication to athletics is slowly being erased," Georgas said.
Deerfield Public Schools District 109 responded to the investigation in a statement to Fox News Digital and, like the IHSA, cited the Illinois Human Rights Act for its protocols.
"Deerfield Public Schools District 109 complies with state law. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity, and mandates that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Maine has already seen the type of intervention that Miller is calling for.
That state has seen its federal funding cut by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit against it for continued defiance of Trump's order. Maine has launched its own lawsuit against the Trump administration over the funding freeze, and a federal judge has ruled it be unfrozen.
A New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports.
Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
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