On Monday, a Long Island county law went into effect that says transgender girls and women can’t use county-run sports centers for girls and women.
Two groups, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and Attorney General Letitia James, both sued the bill on the same day, saying that it breaks state rules against discrimination.
The law was passed by the Nassau County Legislature last month by a vote of 12 to 5. It was a one-party vote, and Bruce Blakeman, the county governor, signed it Monday.
Blakeman, a Republican and Trump supporter, said after the measure passed, “I am pleased that the Republican majority in the Legislature voted in favor of this common-sense measure to protect the integrity of women’s sports and the safety of women participants.”
Blakeman did not respond right away to a request for more information.
If a sports league or program wants to use county-run parks or athletics facilities, they must “expressly designate” as either a men’s team, a women’s team, or a coed team based on the assigned sex at birth of the competitors on the team. They must do this when they apply for a permit to use the parks or facilities.
It says that the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums can’t permit sports groups that let transgender women play on women’s teams. The law, on the other hand, lets the county permit sports groups that let trans guys play on men’s teams.
The rule is like an order that Blakeman made in February that was contested by the Long Island Roller Rebels, a roller derby league for women. In May, a judge in New York threw out the order, writing that Blakeman didn’t have the power to make it because that would require a law from the county assembly.
The Long Island Roller Rebels are being sued by the NYCLU on Monday. The suit says that the new law affects many sports groups and teams, from public and private school sports teams to recreational leagues. It also says that it affects about 100 county athletic sites.
The lawsuit says that to follow the Local Law and give everyone fair access to facilities, these groups and the people who work for and in them will have to ask people about their gender identity in a way that invades their privacy and limits their bodily autonomy, and “out” transgender people.
The head of the Long Island Roller Rebels, Curly Fry, said that county officials are trying to keep people from playing sports and are also “sending the message that trans people do not belong in Nassau County.”
In a statement, Fry said, “Trans people belong everywhere, even in sports.” “As we did with the transphobic executive order, we will fight this new law to make sure that everyone in the community can join a sports team and feel welcome.”
In her lawsuit, Attorney General Letitia James repeats some of the NYCLU’s points, such as the idea that the law breaks state laws against discrimination.
James said in a statement, “With this law, Nassau County is once again trying to keep transgender women and girls from playing sports while saying they like fairness.” In their first case, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Long Island Roller Rebels won. Also, County Executive Blakeman’s transphobic executive order was thrown out because it was illegal. Now this unfair law must be too. Everyone in New York has the right to be who they are without fear of being judged, and my office will always guard that right.
In the past few years, half of the states have passed laws that make it harder for transgender students to play school sports. New York, on the other hand, has not passed such a law. It’s not clear how many state towns across the country have passed similar laws.
