Conservative groups are targeting public schools in Illinois for accommodating transgender students with bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.
Two conservative groups—the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies and the Liberty Justice Center—filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights alleging that the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools are violating Title IX by supporting transgender students with access to these facilities.
The complaint comes at the same time that a transgender girl at Shepard Middle School in north suburban Deerfield has been targeted by a parent claiming her cisgender daughter should not have to share a locker room with her. In this case, dozens of transgender advocates showed up at a local school board meeting to share their support for this transgender girl.
“We want every trans student to know there are people out there fighting for them,” said Asher McMaher, co-founder of Trans Up Front Illinois, a new group that formed while protesting Lurie Children’s Hospital for pausing certain gender-affirming procedures for trans youth.
“There are people who see them, they are valid and we want them to not only thrive in their education, but grow up to be whatever they want to be,” McMaher said.
Anti-trans activists ‘outnumbered’ by community support
The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, meaning schools must protect transgender students’ right to use restrooms and facilities that match their gender identity.
But the two conservative groups cite President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders stating the U.S. will only recognize two unchangeable sexes and that transgender women and girls should be banned from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Nicole Georgas, a parent at Shepard Middle School, lodged a similar complaint during the school board’s March 13 meeting, where she claimed her 13-year-old daughter’s “wellbeing and mental health and privacy is at stake” because of the transgender student’s presence in the locker room.
Georgas, who did not return requests for comment, misgendered the student throughout her remarks and claimed she filed a complaint with the Department of Justice.
Her complaints have been uplifted by conservative groups like Awake IL and Moms for Liberty, which have been recognized as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Even author J.K. Rowling tweeted a clip from the school board meeting that was shared by a far-right blog.
Georgas was the only person at the meeting who spoke in opposition to the school following Illinois’ law mandating schools accommodate transgender students.
Eleven people spoke in support of the transgender student at the meeting, including Kristal Larson, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center Lake County. Shepard Middle School falls within Lake County’s boundaries.
“It was a beautiful thing—I felt like 50 or 60 folks were in the audience to show their support,” Larson said. “We hope that by having shows of force at places like this, those students and those families can watch remotely or hear about what’s going on and realize we outnumbered them like 10 to one. How amazing and supportive that their community is there for them.”
Charlee Friedman, who also co-founded Trans Up Front Illinois, spoke in support of the transgender student at the meeting. They commended the school board for standing by the transgender student’s right to use a locker room that aligns with her gender identity.
“The law states that if someone is uncomfortable in a bathroom or locker room, whether it’s because of a transgender person or for any other reason, that person who’s uncomfortable should be able to have access to a more private facility,” Friedman said. “This isn’t about exclusion—it’s about making sure every single person has access to a space that they’re comfortable in.”
District 109 Supt. Mike Simeck did not return Windy City Times’ requests for comment, but officials told WBEZ that its schools don’t require students to change in front of others in the locker room and that their policies align with state law.
“All students in the middle schools have multiple options to change in a private location if they wish,” the statement reads.
How to support transgender students
The situation unfolding at Shepard Middle School is part of a larger attack on trans youth that is being led by the current presidential administration, Friedman said.
Since taking office, Trump has unleashed a fury of executive orders targeting transgender youth by attempting to erase their existence, restrict their healthcare and limit their participation in school sports. These policies have given people with anti-trans views the courage to go public with their hateful ideologies, Friedman said.
“In the end, a trans girl is just a girl—and these are adults who are intent on bullying a child because they feel emboldened by the current administration,” Friedman said.
This type of rhetoric can have a detrimental effect on the mental health of trans youth across the country, Friedman said. That’s why shows of support like the one at the recent school board meeting are so important, they said.
And there are other ways allies to the trans community can show support, McMaher said.
“Being an ally is an action word, so it’s about what you have done that’s actionable to stand with our community,” McMaher said.
Some action items could include emailing Supt. Simeck and the District 109 school board to share that they stand with the transgender student and are happy the district is following state law by accommodating them, McMaher said.
McMaher’s group, Trans Up Front Illinois, is also hosting an upcoming protest for people to show their support for the transgender community. The Rally for Trans Visibility, which will be followed by a protest march, begins at 1 p.m. March 30 at Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn St.
“This is a chance to collectively show our outrage against the federal government, its executive orders and the attempts to erase our community,” McMaher said. “It’s a great way to show up for trans people.”
But being an ally can also start at home, Friedman said.
“It’s very important that parents who are pro-trans rights speak to their children about that as well,” Friedman said. “If families can talk to their kids about how to support trans kids in their school, then in these situations where there’s a kid who’s being bullied in the locker room, their classmates will have the tools to stand up and speak out so this kid doesn’t feel like she’s alone.”
Larson said LGBTQ+ allies can also support students by donating money to their schools’ gay-straight alliance clubs and arts programs, which are often a safe haven for LGBTQ+ students.
By supporting trans students in these ways, it shows them that there is a strong community out there that cares, McMaher said.
“I want trans youth to know that right now in time is a blip, and trans youth have so many more years ahead of them,” McMaher said. “Regardless of what happens in our federal government, organizations like ours and our partners will always be there to stand up for them and provide them support, because we need these youth as a part of society and they deserve that.”