The Illinois High School Association, which governs school sports, has said it will follow state law allowing males who identify as females to participate in girls' sports.
IHSA board president Dan Tully and executive director Craig Anderson wrote a letter to state lawmakers earlier this month explaining their decision to submit to state law rather than federal law.
The two IHSA leaders said the organization has been told by the state attorney general that compliance with Trump’s EO would leave IHSA noncompliant with the Illinois Human Rights Act which requires that transgender athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender with which they identify.
“The IHSA simply desires to comply with the law and takes no position as to which of the foregoing is correct or whether there can be alignment between claimed federal and state law,” the letter states.
Laurie Higgins of Breakthrough Ideas explains the rationale behind the IHSA’s decision.

“The leftist who did that knew where the whole trans cult was going, and they wanted it to be able to have access to women's sports."
Higgins thinks the IHSA should have boldly declared to keep girls’ sports teams and public spaces safe.
The group should have stated “there should not be biological boys in the girls' locker room, there should not be boy biological boys in girls' sports. That's unjust. It's unfair, it's inappropriate, and we're taking a stand here."
Twenty-three states have laws on the books that ban boys from competing on girls’ sports teams.
Alaska, Georgia and New Mexico do not have state laws banning boys, but their state high school athletic associations have policies that ban boys from girls’ sports.
Trump admin, Maine fight continues
The Trump administration has gone back and forth with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over her state’s laws that allow boys on girls’ teams.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a civil lawsuit against Maine as the state risks millions in federal funding.
Illinois state senator Neil Anderson, a Republican and the father of a 12-year-old girl softball player, thinks the IHSA has it wrong.
“Biology is pretty simple. Males are bigger, faster, and stronger, and when you put them in the arena with females, somebody’s going to get hurt,” said Anderson.