Current:Home > NewsNew York Attorney General Letitia James sued over action against trans sports ban -ThriveEdge Finance
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued over action against trans sports ban
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:39:56
A county official in New York has sued state Attorney General Letitia James over her objections to an order banning transgender women from participating in female competitions in Long Island.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman sued James in federal court on Wednesday over her March 1 cease-and-desist letter, which threatened legal action regarding his executive order.
Blakeman ordered the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums to require all members to participate in the group that corresponds with the sex that they were assigned at birth. In addition, the order prohibits any sporting events that are designated for women and girls to include biological men.
Blakeman's order, implemented on Feb. 23, said that he wants women and girls to have equal opportunities while participating in athletics, according to the document, which says biological men have always had more opportunities when it comes to sports.
Bomb threats in Maine legislature:Follow bills on transgender care
Letitia James response to the executive order
James' office called out Blakeman's executive order as “transphobic” and “illegal.”
“Our laws protect New Yorkers from discrimination, and the Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding those laws and protecting our communities," an Attorney General spokesperson told USA TODAY. "This is not up for debate: the executive order is illegal, and it will not stand in New York.”
According to the New York Human Rights Law, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on their sex or gender identity. On Jan. 25, 2019, the law was amended to include a person’s gender identity and expression as a protected class in employment, places of public accommodation, public and private housing, educational institutions and credit, the law states.
In an interview with CNYCentral, Blakemen denied that his executive order was transphobic.
“We are adhering to federal law in protecting our women from being bullied, quite frankly, by biological males,” Blakeman said. “I want to stress this is not anti-transgender, and I’m insulted that some of our elected officials in Albany labeled me transphobic.”
Blakeman told the news organization that the executive order is a step to help female sports.
“This is common sense. What they’re trying to do – the people who are trying to inject biological males into female competition – is destroy women’s and girl’s sports, and that is a protected class under federal law,” Blakeman said. “I not only wanted to do this for the women and girls here in Nassau County – I have an obligation to do it.”
Blakeman did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Friday.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- ITZY is showing who they were 'BORN TO BE': Members on new album, solo tracks and evolving.
- Woman jumps from second floor window to escape devastating Georgia apartment building fire
- Arizona Governor Vows to Update State’s Water Laws
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Prince's 'Purple Rain' is becoming a stage musical
- Idris Elba calls for tougher action on knife crime after a spate of teen killings in Britain
- David Foster's Daughter Sets the Record Straight on Accusation He Abandoned His Older Kids
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Proof Jennifer Lawrence Is Still Cheering on Hunger Games Costar Josh Hutcherson
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton carried off floor with injury
- A ‘highly impactful’ winter storm is bearing down on the middle of the US
- Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- What are the IRS tax brackets? What are the new federal tax brackets for 2023? Answers here
- Merry Christmas! Man buys wife Powerball ticket as a gift, she wins $2 million
- Emma Stone Jokingly Reacts to Support From “A--hole” Taylor Swift
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
US Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana won’t seek reelection to 8th term, will retire from Congress
Busy Washington state legislative session kicks off with a focus on the housing crisis
Pakistani officer wounded while protecting polio vaccination workers dies, raising bombing toll to 7
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
North Korea and South Korea fire artillery rounds in drills at tense sea boundary
South Korea’s parliament endorses landmark legislation outlawing dog meat consumption
Israeli defense minister lays out vision for post-war Gaza