L.I. county bans trans athletes from competing with girls

Post Reply New Topic

In a move that a local official said was done to battle so-called "bullying" from people born biologically male, a Long Island county is banning transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at their facilities.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced the new ban at a Thursday morning press conference. It will take effect immediately.

"There’s too much bullying going on of biological males trying to inject themselves in female sports," Blakeman said, surrounded by supporters and young girls. "It’s wrong and it’s a form of bullying."

The executive order bars transgender athletes from competing against girls at all 100 sports facilities run by Nassau County, including ball fields and ice rinks. It is believed to be the first ban on transgender participation in sports on a county-wide level in the U.S.

"This is a matter that concerns the integrity, fairness and safety of women's sports," said Samantha Goetz, a former high school athlete and current county legislator. The mother of two argued it’s a matter of fairness for female athletes, who can't compete physically with biological males.

"There is no training I could have engaged in to compete against a biological male," Goetz said.

When asked by reporters what spurred such a ban to be enacted, Blakeman could cite no examples of such a thing occurring in Nassau County. Neither could the executive director of the agency that oversees high school sports in the county.

Protestors outside the county office building condemned Blakeman's action as illegal, discriminatory and unnecessary. They accused Blakeman of playing politics with the lives of vulnerable transgender kids.

A former high school athlete from Suffolk County who is now transitioning to become a woman said such a ban would take away any sense of community and cohesion for transgender athletes.

LGBT Network CEO Robert Vitelli said the order "sends a message to trans kids that they don’t belong."

A legal challenge is expected, but an unapologetic Blakeman believes his executive order will withstand any test.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul weighed in later Thursday, accusing Blakeman of bullying transgender kids and saying her office would enforce state laws designed to protect children. That message was echoed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said her office is reviewing the state's legal options.

"This executive order is transphobic and deeply dangerous. In New York, we have laws that protect our beautifully diverse communities from hate and discrimination of any and every kind," James said in a statement.

Now that non-binary gender has been accepted,In such contests, the use of gender as a criterion for differentiation has become outdated。
Testosterone Levels should be the new criterion.

New York's attorney general sent a cease-and-desist letter on Friday slamming a Long Island lawmaker for issuing a "discriminatory and transphobic" executive order designed to keep transgender athletes from playing sports.

Attorney General Letitia James ordered Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to "immediately rescind" his order on the basis it discriminates against people based sex, gender, identity of expression -- a violation of New York law.

"The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said Friday. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.”

James gave the county executive five days to rescind the order "or else face additional legal action."

Blakeman doubled down on claims he seeks to protect athletes from "bullying" at a press conference Friday afternoon. He also invited James or her office to meet with county lawyers to examine state and federal law.

Now that non-binary gender has been accepted,In such contests, the use of gender as a criterion for differentiation has become outdated。
Testosterone Levels should be the new criterion.

I feel the same way; as long as they meet the same criteria for testosterone as other athletes

Now that non-binary gender has been accepted,In such contests, the use of gender as a criterion for differentiation has become outdated。
Testosterone Levels should be the new criterion.

Testosterone levels? Just follow the rules for performance-enhancing drugs.

Here are my proposed class divisions:

Natural humans
Doped up humans
Cyborg machine merged humans

Hmm, maybe that's it for now.. people vs people, drugs vs drugs, robots vs robots.. readyyyyyy fight! haha

James, in her "cease and desist" letter Friday, said the order is a clear violation of the state's anti-discrimination laws and must be rescinded in five days, or else the county will face legal action.

"The law is perfectly clear: You cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression," the Democrat said in a statement. "This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal."

James also said the order will deter teams from other areas from competing in the county, and subjects women's and girls' sports teams to "intrusive and invasive questioning" and other unnecessary verification requirements.

"What the attorney general is asking us to do is a violation of federal constitutional law and federal statutory law so our response was to file a lawsuit," Blakeman said.
Blakeman says his goal is to protect female athletes from male-born athletes who are bigger, stronger and faster. He is joined in his lawsuit by the Mullin family of Nassau County.

The county executive says male-born athletes can compete on co-ed teams or all male teams, or even transgender teams if they want to create one.

"We're not being anti-transgender at all. I take great offense to that, we're a kind and generous and loving community," Blakeman said.

Gabriella Larios is a staff attorney for New York Civil Liberties Union and says her organization is considering legal options to stop Blakeman's executive order and lawsuit.

She says the lawsuit is "dangerous" and contributes to an "anti-trans" climate.