In a “clear violation” of the state’s anti-discrimination laws, state attorney general Letitia James demanded on Friday that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman rescind his executive order barring transgender girls from playing girls’ sports at county parks and facilities.
Blakeman’s Feb. 1 notice was referenced in a “cease and desist” letter from James’ office. Based on a patient’s “biological sex at birth,” requires companies seeking state parks permits to “expressly designate” whether their players are male, female, or coed.
The attorney general’s civil rights bureau’s chief, Sandra Park, wrote to the office, “finds the attempt to be in clear violation of New York State anti-discrimination norms and demands that it be soon rescinded.” According to the letter, “The state has five business days to comply or we could face further legal action.”
A Blakeman official could not be reached for comment right away.
Republicans’ Blakeman claimed last week that the law applies to organizations that want to play at more than 100 state parks, including rugby and basketball courts, ballfields, and swimming pools. He claimed that he had no knowledge of any instances where transgender women attempted to engage in state services’ women’s sports.
His statement drew widespread condemnation from LGBTQ rights activists and Democrats, including James, the governor, legislators from the local and state levels, Kathy Hochul.
According to Park, the attempt goes against New York State human rights law, which forbids discrimination where places of public accommodations are “discriminated on the grounds of ‘sex’ and ‘gender identity or expression’.
According to the letter, it would have a “policing” of females’ sex and gender identities and have a far-reaching effect on all state players.
According to the notice, “The Order’s immediate effect is to push sports teams to produce an untenable decision: discriminate against transgender women and girls, in contravention of New York law, or find somewhere else to perform.” The Order will undoubtedly hinder diverse groups and transgender women and girls who play women and girls’ sports from different parts of the State who want to take part in sporting events and competitions in Nassau County, not only will it have an impact on a wide range of Nassau-based teams and leagues, but it will also certainly deter diverse teams and trans women and girls who participate in women and girls’ sports from different parts of the State.
Inviting aggressive surveillance of the sex and gender identity and appearance of all girls and women, Park added, “it requires groups and teams to exclude trans women and girls as a problem of using covered facilities.”
