Transgender Athlete Ban in a Long Island County Is Struck Down in Court

Lori Dee · May 12, 2024, 05:27:14 PM

Transgender Athlete Ban in a Long Island County Is Struck Down in Court
NY Times Article
The New York Times - Hurubie Meko
May 11, 2024

A New York court on Friday struck down a Long Island county order that barred transgender women from playing on women's sports teams at county-owned sports facilities.

The case had raised questions about whether the ban was legal under the state's human rights law. But the ruling on Friday by Justice Francis Ricigliano of Nassau County Supreme Court turned on a technical issue: The county executive, Bruce Blakeman, had "acted beyond the scope of his authority as the chief executive officer of Nassau County" when he imposed the ban, Justice Ricigliano said.

The right to pass such laws is reserved for legislative bodies, and chief executives of local governments cannot "unlawfully infringe" on those rights, the ruling stated.

Gabriella Larios, a staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said on Friday that the decision "deals a serious blow to county executive Blakeman's attempt to score cheap political points by peddling harmful stereotypes about transgender women and girls."

Nassau County's order did not restrict transgender boys and men from competing on boys' and men's teams at county facilities.

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Transgender Athlete Ban in a Long Island County Is Struck Down in Court

Lori Dee