New York county's latest trans athlete ban draws lawsuits from attorney general, civil rights group
The New York attorney general and the New York Civil Liberties Union have sued a county on Long Island over its latest attempt to ban transgender females from playing on women’s sports teams at county facilities
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The New York attorney general and the New York Civil Liberties Union on Monday sued a county on Long Island over its latest move to ban transgender females from playing on women's sports teams at county facilities.
The separate lawsuits came on the same day Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, signed the policy into law. Months earlier, a judge had blocked a similar rule Blakeman put in place through an executive order.
Both cases argue the ban violates state anti-discrimination laws.
“With this law, Nassau County is once again attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from participating in sporting events while claiming to support fairness,” Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Blakeman in February signed an executive order to implement the policy but it was eventually blocked by a judge. Then in June, the Nassau County Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, voted to reinstate the ban.
The rule would bar trans athletes from playing at facilities owned by the county, unless they compete on teams matching the gender they were assigned at birth or on coed teams. It would apply to about 100 sporting facilities in the county.
Blakeman said in a statement, “I am very disappointed that the Attorney General would attempt to frustrate Nassau County’s desire to protect the integrity of women’s sports, ensure the safety of its participants and provide a safe environment for girls and women to compete.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit was filed on behalf of a women’s roller derby league, the Long Island Roller Rebels, which had successfully sued to block Blakeman's original executive order.
“It is abundantly clear that any attempt to ban trans women and girls from sports is prohibited by our state’s antidiscrimination laws. It was true when we successfully struck down County Executive Blakeman’s transphobic policy and it is true now," Gabriella Larios, staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.