New York county official sues to retain protections for female sports

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James. The attorney general last week sent Blakeman a cease and desist letter giving him five days to repeal an executive order he signed last month. If he did not rescind the order, James threatened legal action. Blakeman said the order was created to protect women and girls in sports and his lawsuit asked the court to declare the order lawful.

What does the order mandate? The order requires teams, leagues, and organizations to state whether they consist of male, female, or co-ed athletes when applying for a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department. The law would deny permits for more than 100 public facilities for any team designated as female that allows biological males to compete. The order does not apply to coed or men’s teams. It took effect immediately.

Why did James call for the order to be rescinded? The attorney general’s office said the order would open female sports teams to “invasive questioning” and that it violates anti-discrimination laws. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal,” James said in a press release.

How has Blakeman responded? The county official said the order does not go against federal law and is not discriminatory. “Women and girls are a protected class under federal law. Transgender women who are biological males are not a protected class under federal law,” Blakeman said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Dig deeper: Read Ray Hacke’s report in WORLD Magazine about calls for legal protections for girls who are injured by male athletes.