The Illinois High School Association will now vet transgender athletes to determine eligibility for championship play in single-sex sports.
As reported by public radio station WGLT, the Bloomington-based IHSA updated its policies on trans athletes during a board meeting this week. Student-athletes whose gender identity is different from their sex at birth will need to seek an eligibility ruling to participate in the postseason.
The IHSA will review medical and school registration records, among other supporting documentation, to determine eligibility, according to WGLT's Lauren Warnecke. Students seeking a ruling may also submit a statement affirming their gender identity and letters of support from teachers, family, clergy, etc.
The new guidelines were developed through a months-long process in consultation with IHSA legal counsel, the U.S. Department of Education and the Illinois Attorney General's office.
“It was a clean-up of language,” said IHSA executive director Craig Anderson, as reported by WGLT.
"For example, prior versions of the policy indicated a transgender athlete was a person whose gender identity differed from the sex on their birth certificate," Warnecke wrote. "As barriers to changing birth certificates have been reduced for transgender people, the updated policy now says 'sex assigned at birth' or 'birth sex.' "
Anderson told Warnecke the board limited the scope of their policy to what the IHSA controls — namely, regional and state-level, postseason competition. The Department of Education leaves decision-making to districts and schools.
“Honestly, if the U.S. Department of Education would come out with a firm position, I think it would help us, along with other state associations,” Anderson said.
IHSA’s guidelines were first developed in 2011 in partnership with Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, WGLT reported. Illinois is broadly considered to be inclusive on transgender participation compared to other states.
Applying for an eligibility ruling is prompted by schools, which are responsible for notifying athletes and parents of the policy. Failure to adhere may result in sanctions on a player or team, WGLT's Warnecke reported.
Anderson said rulings will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration various stages of development during a period of rapid change among teens. Parental and social support surrounding a teen’s choice to transition will also be considered.
The updated IHSA policy does not explicitly provide guidance for non-binary athletes who identify as neither male nor female, since most sports are divided into male and female categories.
“We don’t have any other options; it’s got to be one or the other,” Anderson said. “When they choose their birth sex, then there’s no part of the policy that’s in play. When it is different, then that’s when we have to follow the guidelines in the policy.”
The change comes at a time of political polarization on trans rights and pressure from some female athletes and coaches, who claim transgender women who went through male puberty have a competitive advantage. A 2022 NPR/Ipsos poll showed nearly two-thirds of Americans opposed transgender girls and women playing on women's teams. Scientists have yet to agree on whether biological differences among trans women pose a threat to fair competition.
