Trans Middle School Athlete Sparks Heated Debate At Naperville School Board Meeting

NAPERVILLE, IL — Dozens of residents attended the May 19 board meeting for Naperville Community Unit School District 203. Many of them were waving trans flags; others were holding signs that read “Protect Girls Sports” The nearly two hours of public comment came after a trans middle school student won “multiple events” at a recent track and field meet in the school district.

The first person to speak, Michelle Peterson, said she is not from District 203 and identified herself as a mother and a former Division 1 athlete who attended school on an athletic scholarship.

“What’s happening now threatens everything title IX stands for.”

Established in the Education Amendments Act of 1972, Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance[.]”

Peterson then mentioned the student who competed in the recent conference track meet. She said, “I’m not here to argue about policy, but to speak truth. This is about fairness and how we guide our children."

Peterson then quoted the Bible, saying, “Genesis 1:27 states, ‘God created mankind in his own image. Male and female, he created them.'"

She asserted, "This design is not random; it is divine."

“When we tell kids that they become something else, we don’t affirm them, we confuse them,” Peterson said.

“There are not only anatomical differences between males and females, but hormonal differences that affect strength and endurance," she said.

Next, Dorothy Powers, a "proud parent of six and grandparent of seven," shared, "according to medical science, what separates male and female is a complex process involving DNA, genes and hormones.”

“Typically, two XX chromosomes are female and one X and one Y are male,” she said. "Anatomical sex is determined at about six weeks after gestation,” Powers added.

“Scientists know that anatomical sex is not binary,” she said. “There are at least 14 viable combinations of X and Y chromosomes found in humans.”

“Being trans or nonbinary is not a choice, but actually a very common part of nature," Powers said.

“Illinois law mandates inclusion because it promotes personal growth and respect," she added.

Powers said, “As I know, our personal identity is adversely affected when a student is forced to compete in a gender with which her or she does not identify.”

Per the Illinois Human Rights Act, gender identity discrimination is prohibited.

Jason Copeland, a District 203 parent, said, “The next election for seats on this school board should be laser-focused on one question, ‘What’s the acceptable amount of genetic boys allowed to participate in girls sports divisions?’”

Copeland continued, “If the answer is anything other than zero, that person isn’t qualified to be on a board overseeing the protection and education of children at any level in this district.”

College professor Jessie Miller addressed the board, saying of the student athlete, “She deserves to play sports…girls sports…because she is a girl.”

Miller said, “I’ve also heard several of you say that biological males have an advantage in sports over biological females.

“The only reason we believe that is because we believe it is socially acceptable for young boys to build up their muscles,” Miller said. "There are differences in where biological males and biological females build up their muscles, but there is nothing that proves that biological males are stronger than biological females.”

In late January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that, in part, aimed to ban trans athletes from women's sports, the Illinois High School Athletics Association (IHSA) currently permits trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.