South Central Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Louisville) has spoken out against President Joe Biden's plans to change Title IX rules to block states from preventing boys from playing girls' sports, saying the effort would make athletics unfair.

"Allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports is not fair to female athletes, and depending on the sport, it could be dangerous for the girls," Wilhour told the South Central Reporter. "Boys are stronger, faster and more physical. Putting male athletes with female athletes could put girls at risk."

In the wake of Biden’s recent announcement about amending the parameters of Title IX, the Prairie State Wire found that Illinois is now one of 29 states that allow boys to compete in girls’ sports at the high school level.

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 boys from taking part in girls’ high school sports. Many, such as Wilhour, say mixing genders would make games unfair because boys would "absolutely have an advantage."

"A 2016 analysis showed that if the 2016 high school boys track-and-field NBNO (New Balance Nationals Outdoor) finalist were to compete with the 2016 top female Olympic athletes, the boys would have taken home 34 medals compared to five total medals for the top female Olympic athletes," Wilhour said.

Former University of Pennsylvania men's team swimmer Lia (formerly Will) Thomas won two titles in the women’s NCAA swimming championships, but earned criticism from many, such as rival Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who Thomas tied in the 200-meter freestyle championship. Gaines and others have said Thomas has the edge being a man competing against women.

"There is no justifiable reason to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports," Wilhour said. "At the collegiate level, female athletes who otherwise would qualify for All-American status are not qualifying, thanks to insane policies that allow male athletes to compete with female athletes. We need to protect the integrity of female sports."

Along with Illinois, the states that currently allow boys 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.

"We need to, as a society, come to our senses," Wilhour said.