District 211 residents hotly debate transgender player on Conant H.S. girls volleyball team

Several community members, and even a couple politicians, spoke during a raucous Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board meeting Wednesday about the alleged acceptance of a transgender student on the Conant High School girls volleyball team.

Two women were ejected from the meeting by police for squabbling in the audience.

Nine speakers were critical of the understood situation, with eight others expressing support for district policy and the student being discussed during the hourlong public comment portion.

Neither the district nor the board have addressed the issue publicly. They did not respond to comments either, but suggested those who had not had a chance to speak could email their thoughts or attend the next board meeting Sept. 18

The conservative group Citizens 4 Kids Education (C4KE) called on members and supporters to voice their disapproval. Many expressed concerns about injuries female athletes could suffer by being pitted against transgender players.

Defenders of transgender athletes argued serious injuries in sports aren’t confined to a transgender player being involved.

Teri Paulson of New Hope Community Church in Palatine addressed her critical comments in the form of a welcome address to new Superintendent Judith Campbell.

“I hope better things for you,” said Paulson, a longtime critic of the district’s accommodations of transgender students. “There is only one point of view in this district — and no one steps out of line.”

In contrast, Justin O’Rourke of the Community Mental Health Project criticized the way C4KE tried to draw people to the meeting, adding that members of the LGBTQ community are more vulnerable to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts because of the way they’re treated by others.

“This is not about safety at all,” he said of the group’s concerns. “This is about prejudice and bigotry.”

John Goodman of Des Plaines, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said the situation is at odds with why women’s sports were created and that his own transgender child agrees with him on that.

“I’m here because I want to try to appeal to your reason and your logic,” Goodman told the board. “Inclusion needs to be balanced with fairness.”

But Democratic Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, a graduate of District 211 and the first openly gay person elected to the Cook County Board, said society shouldn’t demonize someone like this volleyball player for living their life authentically. He urged those in the audience to be mindful of the language they use.

Shortly after his inauguration this year, President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.

The Illinois High School Association’s policy is in compliance with state law, allowing students to participate in state series in athletics and other activities consistent with their own gender identity.

IHSA Associate Executive Director Matt Troha said it was recognized last school year that the policy is in conflict with Trump’s executive order.

“Thus, we asked for clarification on that last year after receiving some pressure from the Illinois Republican Party,” Troha said. “No official guidance has been provided yet.”

But IHSA policy also requires an evaluation of the eligibility of a transgender student before participation in state series events aligned with their gender identity.

Such eligibility is determined only once in a student’s high school career, Troha said, making it difficult to accurately state how many transgender athletes are participating each year.

He estimated that of last year’s approximately 133,000 student-athletes on girls teams, probably only two or three were transgender. But among all 320,000 student-athletes in the state last year, probably 25 to 30 were transgender.

A decade ago, District 211 was embroiled in double-sided legal battles alleging that it had first denied and then granted full access to locker rooms and restrooms to transgender students based on their self-determined gender identity. Such accommodations are now also part of Illinois law.