The Nassau County Legislature has voted to prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in county facilities on teams and leagues that correspond to their gender identity.
The local law was enacted Monday evening, 12 to 5. It is one among numerous regulations in the United States that prohibit transgender athletes from competing in sports. The party split of the vote was not immediately available, but Republicans controlled the majority of the seats.
“I am gratified that the Republican Majority in the legislature voted in favor of this common-sense measure to protect the integrity of women’s sports and the safety of female participants,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, told CNN via email.
Nassau County, according to its website, is New York’s wealthiest county. It is located on Long Island and supported Biden with 54.2% in the 2020 presidential election.
According to research from the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank, New York is one of 25 states with no statewide statutes prohibiting transgender children from competing on sports teams that reflect their gender identification. Other states have rules or policies that prohibit such involvement, according to the project’s statistics.
When the bill was approved, several persons in the audience erupted and screamed “shame, shame, shame.”
This is not the first attempt to prohibit transgender girls and women from Nassau County sports facilities. On February 22, Blakeman issued an executive order that he claimed was intended to ensure “fairness for women and girls in sports” and would prohibit transgender girls and women from participating at county facilities that correspond to their gender identity. A New York Supreme Court judge overturned it in May, stating that Blakeman lacked the legislative authority to issue such an order.
Doctors, psychologists, and community members called the bill enacted on Monday dangerous and unconstitutional, noting higher suicide rates among transgender youth than cisgender teens.
A 16-year-old who identified as an LGBTQ+ ally requested senators to reconsider the bill because “it hurts people.” If someone dies, it is your responsibility. People are killing themselves or committing suicide; it is your responsibility. “Remember that.”
Suicide is the second greatest cause of mortality for those aged 10 to 14 and 20 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Trevor Project, more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people aged 13 to 24 seriously consider suicide in the United States each year, with at least one suicide attempt occurring every 45 seconds.
Those in favor of the municipal law deny that the bill is hateful.
“We do not dislike anyone… I understand your opposition to this bill; I do,” Nassau County Legislator John Giuffrè, a Republican who voted in favor of the law, said during the hearing.
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of the Long Island Roller Rebels, a women’s flat-track roller derby league in Nassau County, claiming that the now-defunct executive order violated New York’s human rights and civil rights laws.
Following the measure’s adoption on Monday, the group commented on X, calling it “a hateful and blatantly illegal bill.” If signed into law, Nassau will face court again.”
Republican County Legislator Giuffrè says he believes the bill will withstand examination.
“I believe that the court challenges will be defeated and I believe that the constitution … will prevail,” according to Giuffrè.
In a March news statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman reverse his executive order, which she described as “discriminatory and transphobic.”
CNN contacted James’ office Monday evening for comment.
“What we’re doing is protecting women,” Republican Legislator John R. Ferretti Jr. explained. “Their safety and integrity of their sporting events.”
The measure will take effect as soon as Blakeman signs it, according to his office.