IHSA Supports the Rights of High School Trans Athletes

A story has been making the rounds recently about the Illinois High School Association supporting the rights of transgender athletes to compete on teams as the gender they know themselves to be [Source]. Of course, state Republicans protest this policy is in defiance of President Trump’s anti-trans executive orders. This is why Republicans exploit transphobia: their constituents fall for fear-mongering that has nothing to do with reality. Show ONE case where someone changed their gender to win a trophy! 

The IHSA estimates three (!) high school AMAB and 25-30 AFAB athletes competing in gender segregated sports that don’t match what they were designated at birth in the last year in the entire state, out of over 320,000 HS athletes (133,000+ AFAB athletes). [Source]. Most transphobes stress out about so called “biological male” athletes competing with girls while ignoring the greater prevalence of AFAB athletes choosing to compete with boys. 

Meanwhile, several republicans governors used to have common sense and compassion about this issue, vetoing trans sports bans from their legislatures because (a) they target such a small number of students and (b) the actual medical evidence calls for supporting trans athletes as well as trans youth, generally. GOP governors Cox of Utah, Holcomb of Indiana, and Burgum of North Dakota have all vetoed trans bans in K-12 sports in their states in the last five years. [Source]

True, yes, other Republicans are outright lying about the issue. In the last few weeks, Senator Tommy Tuberville claimed, “We have entire men’s teams across this country now that are turning trans — women’s teams — they’re turning trans.” [Source] Yeah? Where is that? Prove it.

And yes, President Trump also lies prolifically about “gender ideology”—from transgender mice to schools conducting gender affirming surgeries without parental knowledge or consent. [Source] But of course, in his recent transphobic tantrum during a press conference with El Salvadoran President Bukele, he revealed why he likes these lies: “I don’t like talking about it because I want to save it for just before the next election.” [Source]

The number of lies Trump campaigned on are piling up. Myths about trans athletes are some of them. If trans athletes were really the threat transphobes and TERFs think they are, they wouldn’t base their claims on lies and speculation, and they wouldn’t rely so heavily on bandwagon fallacies. But that’s how fascism gets started—with scapegoating and riling up senseless fears. Hate on trans athletes while you ignore tariff fiascos, economic destabilization, constitutional crises, disenfranchising women voters, and the rapid dismantling of the government. 

Thank you, IHSA, for maintaining a well-informed policy of compassion and actual common sense.