Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has sued New York State Attorney General Letitia James over his executive order that bans transgender women from participating on all-female teams in county facilities.
James sent Blakeman a “cease and desist” letter last week, threatening legal action if he didn’t rescind the order.
But Blakeman filed a lawsuit first.
“We had to go to federal court and assert our rights, and assert the rights of the young girls and the women of Nassau County in the federal courts," Blakeman said at a news conference on Wednesday. "And the federal courts will decide this case. We believe that they will rule in our favor.”
Blakeman wants a federal judge to rule that his executive order is legal. He said the ban on transgender women participating in women's sports teams in county facilities protects the constitutional rights of biological girls and women.
A parent of a female athlete has joined in the suit against the attorney general.
County Democrats criticized Blakeman for the lawsuit, arguing that he should focus instead on the solvency of the financially troubled Nassau University Medical Center.
"Instead of addressing this, County Executive Blakeman has decided to engage in political theatrics that serve no purpose other than to distract from his administration's failures," Nassau County Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement.
So far, Blakeman said he's not aware of any transgender women attempting to join female sports teams.
"The courts have significantly — throughout the years — held that government can take appropriate, reasonable legal action to protect the citizens, even if the harm has not actually been done yet," Blakeman said. "But we've seen the harm and it is coming to Nassau County. It's coming to all communities."
