MINEOLA, N.Y. Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist, said on Monday that she was in favor of a Nassau New York executive’s effort to forbid transgender athletes from competing in local, county-owned facilities.
The restriction applies to over 100 sport facilities in New York City’s Long Island cities. In a statement made by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at his Mineola office, Jenner claimed that allowing trans athletes like herself to compete against other women may “ruin women’s athletics” for years to come.
“This stops it today while we can,” said the reality television star, who came out as a trans woman in 2015.
The LGBT Network, a Long Island-based advocacy group, called Jenner’s opinions a “baffling betrayal” to her own identity as a trans woman that is “not only dishonest but also dangerous” to the LGBTQ community.
“It is disheartening to witness someone who has experienced the challenges of being marginalized actively contribute to the oppression of others within the same community,” David Kilmnick, the group’s president, said in a statement. Such actions only amplify the voices of intolerance and distract from the efforts made collectively to create a more inclusive society.
Blakeman, a Republican elected in 2022, issued an executive order in February requiring any teams, leagues, or organizations seeking a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department to “expressly designate” whether they are for male, female, or coed athletes.
Any teams designated as “female” would be denied permits if they allow transgender athletes to participate.
The ban doesn’t apply to men’s teams with transgender athletes. It covers all Nassau County-owned facilities, including ballfields, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pools, and ice rinks.
Jenner, 74, faced off against other women when she won the 1976 Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. She claimed she has “sympathy” for LGBTQ people and “understands their struggles,” but that allowing transgender people to compete with women would undermine the progress made by female athletes under Title IX, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in programs that are funded by federal funds.
“All I’m trying to do is protect women,” Jenner said Monday.
Jenner, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has been a vocal opponent of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. She has long lived in the Los Angeles area and unsuccessfully ran for governor of California as a Republican in 2021. She is a native of New York.
According to Blakeman, the ban is intended to promote fair play and safeguard girls and women from getting hurt when they play against transgender women. His executive order, however, also covers sports like swimming, gymnastics, figure skating, and track, where there is no physical contact between competitors.
Additionally, the executive order gives the government control over who can play out of the hands of leagues.
The Long Island Roller Rebels, a local women’s roller derby league, asked a New York court to invalidate the county order, saying it violates the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of the league, referred to Jenner’s stance as “an additional disgraceful attempt” to target and demonize transgender women and girls. Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said Blakeman’s order is “transphobic and discriminatory” and violates state law.
Blakeman has filed a lawsuit asking that the judge decide whether the order was valid in New York.
The decision is one of a growing number of anti-transgender athletic restrictions being put in place nationwide. In some 24 states, laws prohibit trans youth from playing sports, though some have been overturned due to ongoing litigation.
Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
