abcnews.go.com Open in urlscan Pro
108.139.29.4  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

VIDEO

LIVE

SHOWS




SECTIONS



U.S.

POLITICS

INTERNATIONAL

CORONAVIRUS

JAN. 6 RIOT

ENTERTAINMENT

BUSINESS

TECHNOLOGY

LIFESTYLE

HEALTH

VIRTUAL REALITY

WEATHER

TIPS

SPORTS

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT

✕
Close the sidebar


JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NY COUNTY'S BAN ON FEMALE TRANSGENDER ATHLETES AFTER ROLLER
DERBY LEAGUE SUES

A New York judge has struck down a Long Island county’s order banning female
transgender athletes after a local women’s roller derby league challenged it

By
PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press
May 10, 2024, 8:51 PM ET
• 3 min read

National headlines from ABC NewsCatch up on the developing stories making
headlines.The Associated Press

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- A New York judge on Friday struck down a Long Island
county's order banning female transgender athletes after a local women’s roller
derby league challenged it.

Judge Francis Ricigliano ruled that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman
didn't have the authority to issue his February executive order, which denies
park permits to any women’s and girl’s teams, leagues or organizations that
allow female transgender athletes to participate.



He wrote in his 13-page decision that Blakeman's order was aimed at preventing
transgender women from participating in girls’ and women’s athletics in county
parks, "despite there being no corresponding legislative enactment" providing
him with such authority.

“In doing so, this Court finds the County Executive acted beyond the scope of
his authority as the Chief Executive Officer of Nassau County,” Ricigliano
wrote.

Amanda Urena, president of the Long Island Roller Rebels, which challenged the
order, said the decision sends a "strong message" against discrimination.

“Today’s decision is a victory for those who believe that transgender people
have the right to participate in sports just like everyone else," Urena said in
a statement. “County Executive Blakeman’s order tried to punish us just because
we believe in inclusion and stand against transphobia. Trans people belong
everywhere, including in sports, and they will not be erased.”

The New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the suit on behalf of the
league, said the decision overturned a harmful policy that attempted to “score
cheap political points by peddling harmful stereotypes about transgender women
and girls.”

Blakeman dismissed the judge’s decision as one that didn’t address the merits of
the case. The ruling doesn’t delve into the civil rights arguments raised by
both sides, instead focusing on the limitations of the county executive's
powers.



“Unfortunately girls and women are hurt by the court," he wrote in an emailed
statement.

Blakeman had maintained the ban was meant to protect girls and women from
getting injured if they are forced to compete against transgender women.

It impacted more than 100 athletic facilities in the densely populated county
next to New York City, including ballfields, basketball and tennis courts,
swimming pools and ice rinks.

But the roller derby league, in its suit, argued that the state’s human rights
and civil rights statutes explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender
identity.

The league’s lawsuit cited the state’s Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act,
or GENDA, as well as guidance from the state Division of Human Rights, which
confirms that public accommodations cannot deny transgender people access to
programs and activities consistent with their gender identity.

The league filed suit after it applied for a permit to host a slate of games at
roller rinks in various county parks this summer that it's used in previous
years for practices and other events.

The Nassau County-based league, which was founded in 2005, said it welcomes “all
transgender women, intersex women, and gender-expansive women” and has at least
one league member who would be prohibited from participating under the county’s
order.

A federal judge, in a separate legal case, rejected Blakeman’s bid to prevent
the state attorney general's office from taking action against the ban after it
issued a cease-and-desist letter warning him that the order violated the state’s
anti-discrimination laws.

LGBTQ+ advocates say bills banning trans youth from participating in sports have
passed in 24 states.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



ABC News Network
Privacy Policy
Your US State Privacy Rights
Children's Online Privacy Policy
Interest-Based Ads
About Nielsen Measurement
Terms of Use
Do Not Sell My Info
Contact Us
© 2024 ABC News