The New York State Supreme Court struck down Long Island County’s ban on transgender athletes on Friday.
The executive order, issued in February by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, was rejected by Judge Francis Ricigliano after ruling he did not have the authority to issue it.
“With the stated goal of protecting the rights of women and girls to compete athletically, the County Executive has issued an Executive Order designed to prevent transgender women from participating in women’s and girls’ athletics in Nassau County parks, despite there being no legislation correspondent providing the County Executive with authority to issue such order,” Ricigliano he said in the 13-page decision.
The New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the decision.
“This decision sends a strong message that transphobic discrimination cannot and will not be sustained,” they said in a statement on Friday. publish on social media platform X.
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Long Island Roller Rebels, the roller derby league that alleged discrimination based on gender identity.
Blakeman’s February order would have denied licenses for any women’s or women’s sporting events featuring transgender athletes. State Attorney General Letitia James demanded that he revoke his order. In response, Blakeman filed a lawsuit that was dismissed.
Blakeman said the lawsuit was filed “on behalf of hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Nassau County” to protect “women’s sports and ensure a safe environment for women.”
James said Friday’s ruling was a “huge victory.”
“In New York, it is illegal to discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression,” she he said in X.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
