Lake County Gazette

As a father of five daughters and someone who has coached various sports for 22 years, Illinois State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) said, “I’m totally against allowing this” when asked what he thinks about allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.

“I’ve worked too hard with too many dedicated girl athletes and young women to now see their hard work destroyed by someone with an unfair competitive advantage,” McLaughlin said. “This is totally wrong. I’m for the protection of women and young girls.”

President Joe Biden’s recent announcement about amending the parameters of Title IX prompted the Prairie State Wire to do some research. It found that 29 states, including Illinois, allow transgender girls to compete in girls sports at the high school level. 

“There is an unfair advantage and it’s a disservice to women and young girls to be doing this,” McLaughlin told the Lake County Gazette. “Frankly, it creates a real problem for the growth of women's sports.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped short of reversing a lower court’s verdict that blocked enforcement of a law passed two years ago in West Virginia that prohibited transgender girls from taking part in girls high school sports, the Prairie State Wire report said. 

University of Pennsylvania male swimmer Will “Lia” Thomas won two titles in the women’s NCAA swimming championships in 2022. In doing so, Thomas earned the scorn and was called a “cheat” by many, including University of Kentucky star Riley Gaines, who she tied in the 200-meter freestyle championships.

"Allowing males to compete on females’ teams puts the women at a decided competitive disadvantage," McLaughlin said.

”I don’t want to see the growth of girls and women’s sports being harmed by something like this,” he said. “It’s jeopardizing the popularity of women’s athletics by creating an uneven playing surface.”

The states that allow transgender girls to participate in girls high school sports are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.