Nassau County has passed a law prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports teams using county facilities, sparking legal challenges and widespread condemnation.
New York, Bollywood Fever: The legislature of New York’s Nassau County approved a law on Monday that prohibits women’s and girls’ sports teams from using county sports facilities on Long Island unless they exclude transgender girls and women from participating.
This law mirrors an earlier directive issued by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, in February. The directive faced immediate challenges from New York’s attorney general and a local women’s roller-derby team, citing violations of the state ban on sex or gender identity discrimination.
Blakeman justified his order, claiming it was necessary to ensure cisgender girls and women had a fair chance in sporting events. However, a New York court invalidated his order last month, stating that only the county legislature had the authority to enact such a change.
The new law, which Blakeman is expected to sign, mandates that organizers of girls’ or women’s sports who wish to use county-run parks or athletic facilities must verify the sex listed on each team member’s original birth certificate. Any team member not designated female must be excluded.
These restrictions do not apply to boys’ and men’s teams or to mixed teams that are not segregated by sex. Nassau County, predominantly a suburban area east of New York City, is affected by this law.
Victoria Lagreca, a lawyer from the Nassau County attorney’s office, defended the law, citing four incidents in recent years where cisgender women or girls were injured while playing sports with transgender women or girls. These incidents occurred in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Canada.
In response to lawmakers’ inquiries, Lagreca admitted she was unaware of any such injuries in New York State or of any instances where cisgender girls and women caused injuries in sports. She also could not detail how breaches of the law would be handled or how the county might investigate public complaints, stating only that such complaints would be addressed on a “case by case basis.”
The Republican-majority Nassau County Legislature passed the law with a 12-5 vote following a public hearing where more than a dozen individuals spoke against the ban.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has labeled the restrictions as illegal and transphobic. Civil rights groups have also criticized the effort as illegal discrimination and an unwarranted invasion of privacy.
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity is illegal sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act.
The New York Civil Liberties Union has indicated it will likely resume litigation against the Nassau restrictions on behalf of the Long Island Roller Rebels, a women’s roller derby team that welcomes “all transgender women, intersex women, and gender expansive participants.”
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