Cover Photo: SPLC-designated hate group Awake Illinois’ founder Shannon Adcock (left, white hat) listens to a speaker during public comment at Naperville D203’s school board meeting.

By Dominic Guanzon

Monday, 5/19/25

“Our Great And Esteemed President”

NAPERVILLE — Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group Awake Illinois descended upon Naperville School District 203’s board meeting to present their latest civil rights complaint going out to Trump’s Education Department. This attracted both Trump acolytes and human rights activists to create another contentious gathering similar to those seen in Bolingbrook and Romeoville’s Valley View School District (VVSD) in recent weeks.

The inciting incident centered around the MAGA-promoted culture war issue of trans athletes in sports. Specifically, a Naperville middle schooler, a trans girl, earning first place in three track events.

“Transgenderism is a social contagion,” a Naperville local in a TRUMP hat proclaimed during public comment. “It’s going to come back, and it’s going to cost our citizens a lot of money to fight history,” he laid out, in reference to Awake’s lawsuit against the school district.

After his public comment, a MAGA-aligned local is interviewed by a student journalist. 5/19/25, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Office.

“Our great and esteemed president,” he paused and sighed, looking to the ceiling, “I can’t even say his name, it’s so wonderful,” he admitted, to an outburst of laughter from both sides of the room. “Donald J Trump! Has passed an executive order banning males in female sports…As blue as this state is, and as blue as you are trying to make Naperville, [federal litigation] is coming, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Trump 2028!” He interjected afterwards, with some in the crowd audibly voicing disgust at the unconstitutional prospect, prompting him to turn back to the audience behind him and explain, “well, he’s a dictator, he can do it!“

He continued, “I represent common sense…The doctor doesn’t assign anything at birth, God assigns it at conception, folks! You can condemn religion…but take it up with him on Judgement Day!”

With an exclamation of “MAGA!” the man left the lectern to the applause of Awake Illinois and their supporters, one of whom was taking down the names of speakers on small, neon-green signs that read “SUPPORT COMMON SENSE” and “STOP EXPLOITING KIDS.” The tactic of anti-trans campaigning disguised as protecting children, despite putting middle schoolers in the sights of online extremists, has been a recurring framing for Awake and the right.

An Awake-aligned person takes names and notes of speakers. 5/19/25, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Office.

The meeting was held at the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 (D203) office in Board Room A. It quickly filled to capacity. An overflow room showing a livestream was also packed with about 75 people, many standing along the sides and back of the room. Total attendance came out to about 100, with livestream views approaching 5,000 as of this writing.

In both rooms, human rights advocates appeared to edge out anti-trans proponents and apologists by about 10%, leading to a continuous cycle of flag-waving, sign-holding, and verbal outbursts from the two sides.

A Second Lawsuit to Trump’s Education Department

A contingent of Elmwood Elementary School students led the Pledge of Allegiance in English, followed by a version in Spanish, to the vocal surprise of some in the crowd. The meeting began at 7PM sharp, followed by 15 minutes of opening business. Public comment lasted over an hour and 45 minutes, ending at about 9PM. The meeting continued with other business, such as finances, for another 50 minutes after that.

Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois and DuPage chapter chair of another SPLC-designated hate group Mom’s For Liberty, was the third person to speak. She wore a bright, white baseball cap with “XX, XY” embossed on it.

“Male and female chromosomes. XX cannot become XY, and vice-versa. There is no transformation, there is no trans,” Adcock incorrectly, and likely intentionally, opened with. Sex chromosomes are not something transgender people change when transitioning, a classic gender vs sex conflation.

In regards to sports, simple XX and XY screenings “have proven to be inadequate. It is not a simple case of checking for XX versus XY chromosomes to determine whether an athlete is male or female,” according to an article from Dr. Kevin R Stone of The Stone Clinic.

“People can have two XX chromosomes and be considered male but people with XY chromosomes may be insensitive to androgens (testosterone) and have no competitive advantage. They can be genetically male but appear to be (and are for all practical purposes) female. Sex chromosome abnormalities occur as frequently as 1 in 400 births,”

One of the core arguments of the lawsuit comes down to the Illinois Human Rights Act (HRA), and subsequent guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education.

School Superintendent Dan Bridges (center, left) and Board Member Charles Cush (center, right) led the near-two hour meeting. 5/19/25, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Office.

“Most parents in District 203 and 204 had no clue their daughters would be competing alongside biological males. The Illinois Human Rights Act doesn’t specify this allowance,” Adcock argued.

The complaint goes further on page three, stating in bolded lettering, “the Human Right Act does NOT expressly stipulate that students in K-12 public schools are legally permitted to use opposite sex bathrooms or locker rooms nor does it expressly permit placement on opposite sex sports teams or sex-based co-curricular activities.”

While the Illinois HRA does not specifically allow transgender participation in sports, it doesn’t need to, since it’s covered right at the top under Sec. 1-102-A “Freedom from Unlawful Discrimination,” which reads:

“To secure all individuals within Illinois the freedom from discrimination based on…sexual orientation…in connection with…the availability of public accommodations, including in elementary, secondary, and higher education.”

Admittedly, the Illinois HRA also conflates sex and gender, since it specifically cites “gender-related identity” under the sex heading in Section 1-103-O-1. It will need rectification in the future. For the purposes of legal arguments in the current moment, however, it’s clear gender is a specifically-protected status, which means trans grade school runners are covered under guidance from state agencies.

Adcock also accused the board, in-person and in the complaint, that D203 violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act, since “the board has never adopted a transparent or formal policy pertaining to student usage of opposite sex bathrooms or sex-based co-curricular activities in sports.”

This is questionable, since discriminating against students based on gender identity is outlawed directly under the Illinois HRA. Therefore, student inclusion appears more as an unnecessary agenda item because it is already covered by school policy. For instance, there is no need for a policy that specifically includes black or gay students in sports, let alone a meeting on it.

A member of Naper Pride holds up a human rights advocacy sign as SPLC-designated hate group leader Shannon Adcock speaks at the lectern. 5/19/25, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Office.

The other core argument comes down to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which “prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.”

Awake’s civil rights complaint on page two argues D203’s student handbook cites an outdated version of Title IX protection.

As explained in a previous article covering Awake’s first lawsuit at Valley View School District, gender identity was not covered under the original 1972 legislation. In 2024, President Biden’s DoED finalized the Title IX rule to include sexual orientation and gender identity. On January 9th, 2025, however, a federal judge struck down those rules, reverting Title IX back.

Lack of Democratic initiative on the issue throughout the Biden administration allowed Trump’s inauguration day Executive Order to exploit the opening. The EO’s “defense” against “GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM” practically cemented the anti-trans direction in which Title IX would go.

“I hope they freeze every dollar of the 8.9 million you’ve budgeted for 2026 until you abide by Title IX,” Shannon Adcock threatened.

This appearance is another of several at D203, including four years ago when she randomly praised the community’s recent tornado recovery efforts for not having “systemic racism” and “white privilege.” Even though it could be argued the reason why the community wasn’t prejudiced is because of the same school and town initiatives she was there to denigrate for being “Marxist” that night.

She ended her both that speech and her May 20th speech with “we cannot be canceled,” a common mantra she uses as a tag, despite current GOP dominance in every branch of federal government. This, in addition to canceling her own 2022 run for school board in Naperville’s Indian Prairie 204 School District, and prevented from joining the town’s Special Events & Community Arts Commission (SECA) commission earlier that same year after over 100 people appeared at a city council meeting to voice their discontent.

In spite of these allegations from Awake, there does exist honest critiques, tough questions, and serious reforms that can be put forward to better integrate trans children into school athletics. Perhaps the system can be reformed to place more emphasis on weight or height classes, for instance. Especially for middle schoolers, the social aspect, and what it does for mental health, cannot be outright jettisoned all for competition.

It’s clear, however, with their hard-right MAGA stance and holistically anti-trans platform, Awake Illinois is more keen to dishonestly use the wedge issue to bring down a whole minority group using the power of the federal government. They have once again earned their hate group status under the false flag of saving the children.

Member of Naperville City Council Sides With Hate Group As Naperville Parents Turn Out In Opposition

Councilperson Josh McBroom’s May 16th Facebook post on his official government page.

The presence of Naperville parents and advocacy groups at the school board meeting on the 19th were especially prescient in light of conservative Councilperson Josh McBroom’s Facebook post on Friday, May 16th. in which he decried the wins of the middle schooler and publicly attacked other parts of the city’s government.

“The Naperville City Council doesn’t control school board policy. That’s what we elect school board members for. But the City does fund a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) department using our property tax dollars.

“So here’s my question: Where is the DEI department now? Is its role just to host workshops and “conversations”? Will it speak out on this issue? Will it engage the community? Or will it stay silent? Because if we’re going to fund it, residents deserve to see action when it matters most.”

Advocacy group Trans Up Front Illinois proceeded to call for presence at the school board meeting and the May 20th council meeting, calling on Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli to “demand the removal of Councilperson McBroom’s post that puts a child in direct harm, and that he be held accountable for his actions.”

Councilperson McBroom previously made headlines in 2024 for sarcastically suggesting at a council meeting that families concerned about migrant deportations should house migrants themselves, employing the classic conservative fallacy that people should help others on their own instead of utilizing the power of their tax-funded government to permanently and systemically solve the issue.

At the May 20th council meeting, one of the speakers during public comment was Timothy Perfitt (starting at 50:46), a Naperville resident, business owner, and parent whose child attended local schools.

“When we had a problem going on at school, we talked to the coaches, the teachers, other parents, the school administration. I’m going to ask each of you: Is it acceptable for a city councilmember to publicly call out a Naperville middle school student for policies they disagree with? Does that represent Naperville and our values? Would you want that to happen to your child?”

The May 20th meeting’s overflow room was also filled, with people standing in the back and on the sides. Like Board Room A where the meeting was being held, anti-trans apologists were present, but were slightly edged out by human rights advocates. 5/19/25, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Office.

Despite the string of anti-human rights speakers at the May 20th meeting and a member of the City Council seemingly behind them, local parents, educators, and advocates matched them at every turn at the lectern and in the crowd.

One parent put it plainly, “pushing trans students out of sports doesn’t fix anything. It spreads fear and misinformation, and it hurts kids who are already carrying so much.”

Local Lutheran Pastor and parent Elisabeth Himmelman showed her gratitude, “I ask the school board to continue supporting our transgender students, and to work harder to protect the private health information of every student if we truly care about our children’s safety in this district as we say we do.

“As a faith leader and a parent, my daily work is both to practice and to teach the love of neighbor…Regardless of your beliefs, caring about our neighbors is in the DNA of this community. Transphobia, hate, and exclusion have no place in our community, or in our education system.”

Donald Zaininger brought levity as an older, local educator, “I taught my entire career in this district as a junior high school math teacher. [The school board] have done an extraordinary job of…treating all of the children, not just those that are most-gifted, but those on the edge. Those who most need you.

“In the last four years of my career, I had three children who, in elementary school, had tried to commit suicide. You have to have a situation, a policy, a program, that treats all of the children. It’s not one versus the other. It’s about all of them. My career was not just about teaching the most gifted, but those the most vulnerable, and that is what you must continue to do.

“I know there have been a lot of people suggesting that that’s not possible. It’s difficult, but it’s not Impossible. You must proceed every day, every year, proceeding to do that for

all of the children – the most gifted, the most vulnerable. If you do not do that, Naperville will not be a great school district. It has been, and it shall be, if you continue that way.”

Some trans supporters have felt the pressure mounting. During an attendee’s public comment, one person quickly entered into the room yelling “protect trans youth” before leaving. No physical altercation occurred. They were issued a citation by police. The person explained they were leaving the building after being fed up with what the anti-trans speakers were saying, and made a spur-of-the-moment decision. The child accompanying them further explained they both had doubts the school board would stand firm in the face of pressure from hate groups like Awake.

Margie Wolf, executive director and co-founder of Naper Pride, was present during the meeting. “I’m really proud of the community for coming out and supporting a child in D-203. I’m a District 203 product. I graduated from Naperville in the early 80s, and this is my hometown, so it always makes me proud to see people come out and support.

“I think the biggest thing that people need to understand is we have to stop allowing the exploitation of children. It’s beyond horrific that anybody would take a video of a minor, post it on the internet, and leave them open to scorn and bullying.”

Wolf is most likely referring to Libs of TikTok, the right-wing Twitter account that targeted the Naperville middle schooler for scrutiny by showing the child’s face and naming her specifically in their post.

Twitter user and far-right extremist Libs of TikTok put a middle schooler’s face and name on blast for the political world to see. Their face and name in this Tweet has been redacted for this article, but was on full display on Libs of TikTok’s account.

Wolf continues, “you know, seventh grade’s a rough year for everybody. and I can’t even imagine how she feels right now, knowing that all of this is about her and over her. And I just hope people think about that and just have respect and common decency. You can disagree. You don’t have to hurt a kid to do it.

Tanya Leigh is a member of Trans Up Front IL who has been present at Awake’s VVSD appearance and Chicago events like the Trans Day of Visibility. “As always, it gives me so much hope to see how many people are showing up to these school board meetings and supporting our trans youth. I was expecting it to be far more [of] their side, but we really showed up again. It was the typical script from their side. Very low on facts, very high on emotion. They say we’re full of emotion. They just run on emotion!

“We’re talking about middle school sports here. The kids are just trying to have fun. Let them have fun. Once you get to the higher levels, there are certain restrictions and requirements when trans folks are on hormone replacement therapy. Obviously, their hormone levels are going to change. They’re not going to be the same that your average ‘biological boy’ would be.

“And what matters most is that this school board is doing the right thing, and we have faith that they’re going to keep doing the right thing. So we just want to show up and provide our support, you know, we’re not here to spread hate. We’re here to show support.”

This article will be edited to add videos from social media as they are posted.

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