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“We’re ready for the courts to relegate this harmful, transphobic policy to the dustbin of history, where it belongs.”
On Monday, March 11, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), partnered with its plaintiff, the Long Island Roller Rebels, announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in response to his February executive order banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
The order, which does not apply to male or co-ed sports, prohibits the Nassau County Parks & Recreation Department from issuing permits to female teams that include transgender women, therefore banning them from playing games at the over 100 county-run facilities.
The Long Island Roller Rebels are one of these teams — as a league that welcomes trans women, it is barred from using Nassau County venues and facilities.
NYCLU said the order violates New York’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law, both of which explicitly prohibit gender identity-based discrimination.
“This cruel policy sends the dangerous message that trans people don’t belong in Nassau County,” said Curly Fry, a member of Roller Rebels, in a statement.
“As a league committed to building community and providing a safe space for everybody, we reject this policy, which bars us from public-run venues where we would otherwise play and practice just because we believe in inclusion and stand against transphobia.”
Additionally, NYCLU claims the order violates guidance from both the New York State Division of Human Rights and the New York State Education Department, which confirms transgender adults and students can have access to programs and athletics in accordance with their gender identity.
Related - 'Blatantly Illegal': NYAG Submits Cease-And-Desist Over Nassau County Transgender Athlete Ban
The statements echo those of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who issued Blakeman a cease and desist on Friday, March 1, calling his ban “transphobic and blatantly illegal.”
Similar to the NYCLU, James warned that the ban would open these groups (and the athletes in them) up to invasive and intrusive inquiries and other verifications.
Blakeman, five days after the cease and desist, issued his own lawsuit against James’.
He likened transgender women playing in women’s sports to bullying, writing in a Facebook post shortly after the NYCLU announcement, “My administration won’t allow female athletes to be bullied by transgender biological males trying to work their way onto girls teams.”
Other activist groups and communities, such as the New York LGBT Network, have condemned the order.
New York LGBT Network President Dr. David Kilmnick called it “deeply alarming,” saying it “not only undermines the principles of inclusivity and fairness but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and exclusion.”
“We hope the court sees this policy for what it is – transphobic and unjust,” Fry said, “and makes sure Nassau County is a safe space for trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive people.”
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