Macon Reporter

State Rep. Regan Deering (R-Decatur) is making her stance clear on girls' safety in schools. 

Deering has voiced strong support for legislation designed to protect the privacy and dignity of young women in educational settings, particularly when it comes to locker room and sports team access.

“The most important issue here is the safety of girls in locker rooms,” Deering told the Macon Reporter. “As a parent to two daughters and someone who has been involved in education for the last two decades, we should be keeping girls' locker rooms safe and ensuring that their privacy is protected.”

Deering has taken an active role in the legislative battle, sponsoring House Bill 1117, which amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act to ensure that athletic teams are explicitly designated as male, female or coeducational, with female teams reserved exclusively for biological females. 

The bill also requires schools to verify a student's biological sex and age through written parental or guardian statements. Additionally, it prohibits any governmental or athletic association from penalizing schools for maintaining gender-specific athletic teams in accordance with the bill's provisions.

“I have spearheaded the fight for young girls by seeking to preserve sports and private spaces, like locker rooms, for biological females,” Deering said. “I am proud to sponsor legislation that protects our daughters by keeping biological males out of those spaces and activities, and allowing female athletes to restore their confidence and determination that is built by being on sports teams.”

Deering’s comments come at a time when debates over schools' policies are intensifying. 

In mid March, Deerfield 109 school district parent Nicole Georgas filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming that her daughter and several other girls were forced to change in front of the male student, who identifies as female. 

The complaint has prompted investigations by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into the Illinois Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 over potential violations of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational settings.

Deering, who has made safeguarding the privacy of young women a central part of her political agenda, weighed in on the broader implications of such policies. 

“School administrators should take any objections seriously and immediately intervene,” Deering said. “Girls and young women in a school setting only have one option for the restroom and locker room, and by refusing to intervene, their privacy and safety is put in jeopardy.”

Deering emphasized that the safety of girls in locker rooms should be the foremost concern. 

“Girls and young women should not be made to feel ashamed for being uncomfortable with biological males in their restrooms and locker rooms, and the majority of students shouldn’t be displaced because a few students wish to use the restroom or locker room of the opposite sex,” Deering said. “I will always stand on the side of protecting young women, who are the overwhelming majority of the individuals impacted, ensuring their privacy and safety. And I hope administrators will stand with me.”

The controversy surrounding locker room access has become even more contentious with the ongoing investigations by the OCR. 

These investigations were triggered by complaints, including the one from Georgas, and allegations that school districts were violating Title IX by allowing biological males into girls' facilities. 

While Deerfield School District has defended its policy, asserting that transgender students have the right to access the facilities that correspond to their gender identity, Deering is critical of what she perceives as an overreach by school boards and government officials.

Deering noted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's support of policies that allow transgender students to use facilities matching their gender identity. 

“It is unfortunate that Governor Pritzker has put local schools in an impossible position to fuel his rise to political prominence,” Deering said. 

Deering called on Pritzker and the majority party in the state legislature to reform state law to ensure the safety of young women and allow school boards to make policies that respect both state and federal law. 

“I encourage Governor Pritzker and the majority party to reform state law to ensure young women are safe and school boards can follow the law,” she said.

Notably, Pritzker and his transgender cousin, "Jennifer" Pritzker – born James Nicholas Pritzker – have been pivotal in advancing the transgender movement, particularly in promoting "synthetic sex identities."

Pritzker signed legislation, such as the 2021 sex education bill, which incorporates gender identity ideology into Illinois' K-12 school curricula. Additionally, through his family’s philanthropic efforts, Pritzker has funded medical practices, including gender reassignment surgeries for minors at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, and has contributed to organizations promoting transgender medical procedures and gender theory.

As the OCR investigations continue and the debate intensifies, Deering remains steadfast in her belief that school boards should prioritize student safety and privacy above all else. 

“School boards should design policy that explicitly keeps their students safe and ensures their privacy is protected,” she said.