Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Tuesday lauded the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that permits states to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. The decision coincides with the continuing legal battle over Blakeman's executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports teams in county facilities, a prohibition that New York Attorney General Letitia James has challenged.
Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, stated that his executive order made "history in Nassau County" as the "nation's first executive order protecting girls' sports." He asserted that the Supreme Court's affirmation of "the constitutional rights of women and girls to be protected from unfair and unsafe competition by biological males" contrasts with the stance of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whom he accused of endangering female athletes.
A state supreme court had previously upheld Nassau's ban last fall, deeming it legal and intended to "protect women and girls in sports." However, the Long Island Roller Rebels, an adult roller derby league, is appealing this ruling with support from Attorney General James. Blakeman's office confirmed that the ban remains in effect pending this appeal.
Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, James' office indicated that the legal challenge to Nassau's local ban will persist. "Across the nation, we have seen states and localities pass cruel and discriminatory laws targeting the trans community. Today, the Supreme Court has decided to continue down this dangerous and harmful path," James said in a statement. She added that the ruling "ignores fact, science, and decency in favor of abandoning young trans people nationwide" and overlooks the "real people impacted by these policies" whose sports teams are vital for developing camaraderie and life skills.