The NYCLU and New York State Attorney General Letitia James have filed a lawsuit against the new law.
A legal battle has begun over a transgender sports ban in Nassau County, New York.
Nassau County Mayor Bruce Blakeman on Monday signed Local Law 121-24, “Equity for Women and Girls in Sports,” into law.
The law requires sports leagues and programs to “explicitly designate” teams based on participants’ birth sex, and does not allow organizations to allow transgender women to compete on women’s teams but transgender men to compete on men’s teams.
The law is similar to an executive order signed by Governor Blakeman in February aimed at banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sporting events at county-controlled facilities. The order stated, “Women and girls are entitled to the opportunity to demonstrate their strength, skill and athletic ability and should be afforded an equal and fair opportunity to gain the recognition, accolades, college scholarships, and many other long-term benefits that can come from participating in and competing in sports activities.”
However, the executive order was struck down by the Nassau County Superior Court in May after being challenged by both the NYCLU and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Now, the NYCLU and James have again filed an independent lawsuit against the county, arguing that the new law violates state law that protects New Yorkers from discrimination based on gender identity and expression.
“Any attempt to exclude transgender women and girls from sports is clearly prohibited by our state’s anti-discrimination laws,” said Gabriella Larios, staff attorney for the New York Civil Liberties Union. “This latest hateful legislation is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it in New York.”
Blakeman criticised the response and defended the X Bill.
“I am extremely disappointed that the Attorney General is attempting to frustrate Nassau County’s desire to protect fairness in women’s sports, ensure the safety of participants, and provide a safe environment in which girls and women can compete,” he wrote on social media.
ABC News has reached out to Blakeman for further comment.
The law goes against local and national sports association guidelines.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s transgender policy states that it is “committed to providing all students with the opportunity to participate in a manner consistent with their gender identity and the regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education.”
NCAA transgender guidelines vary by sport, but as they stand, transgender student-athletes are typically required to record their sport-specific testosterone levels at the beginning of the season, a second time six months later, and again four weeks before championship selection.
Governing bodies of several national and international sports leagues, including the International Olympic Committee, require transgender women to meet certain hormone levels before they can play on the same sports teams as cisgender women.
According to the researchers, there has yet to be any direct or consistent research into whether transgender women have a physiological advantage.
