Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed into law a bill that bans transgender women from playing on all-women’s sports teams in county facilities. But it’s not clear whether it will take effect due to a lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general.
Blakeman’s effort to ban transgender women and girls from playing on female-only sports teams has drawn backlash since his first try by executive order earlier this year. A state judge overturned the order.
Blakeman acknowledged the controversy stirred up by the ban at the bill signing ceremony on Monday morning.
"We've heard from a lot of people who have a different point of view and that's fair," Blakeman said. "We can agree to disagree. For us, it's a matter of common sense. It's a matter of fairness, and it's a matter of integrity.”
In court documents filed just hours later, State Attorney General Letitia James accused Blakeman of violating New York’s human and civil rights 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,” James said in a statement. “NYCLU and the Long Island Roller Rebels won their first lawsuit, and County Executive Blakeman’s transphobic executive order was struck down because it was blatantly illegal. Now this discriminatory law must be as well."
The ban applies to more than a hundred parks and properties throughout the county.
