New York Attorney General Letitia James has demanded that an executive order in Nassau County, which bans men and boys from participating in women’s and girls’ teams at county-run sports facilities, be rescinded.
Ms. James made the announcement on March 1 in response to an executive order issued by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman last month.
The Attorney General referred to Mr. Blakeman’s order as illegal, and demanded the order be rescinded in five days or be subject to legal backlash.
“Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action,” James said in a press release.
The Attorney General added that “in addition to violating basic civil and human rights, the executive order will impose undue increased scrutiny on women’s and girls’ teams and leagues and will also subject all athletes on women’s and girls’ sports teams to intrusive and invasive questioning and other verification requirements.”
The order, titled “An Executive Order for Fairness for Women and Girls in Sports,” prohibits any team that refuses to abide by the new rules from using the county’s 100 ballfields and athletic facilities.
Ms. James claims the order violates the rights of men who identify as women, and forces sports teams and leagues to either discriminate against them or find another place to play.
However, Mr. Blakeman previously stated that he hoped the move would not be seen as discriminatory.
According to Mr. Blakeman, male athletes who identify as women are welcome to compete in the co-ed or mixed league, or in one that corresponds to their sex, but not necessarily their preferred gender identity.
The new rule stipulates that sports organizations applying for permits in Nassau County facilities must be allocated in three designated categories: males, females, or mixed. It furthermore defines the criterion as a team member’s sex.
Mr. Blakeman clearly specified at the time of the announcement of the executive order, that the issue pertains mainly to the fact that males have an unfair advantage over females due to their generally superior strength and size, while also posing a distinct risk to the safety of the females they compete against.
Moreover, the order does not apply to events where women or girls compete in men’s leagues or events.
Controversy
The issue of men competing in women’s sports has been subject to much debate and controversy, which has led to a number of states implementing new laws banning transgender-identifying athletes from participating in school sports.
Furthermore, the issue has also raised serious public concern, with an overwhelming majority of Americans saying that athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their “birth gender.”
While an increasing number of women are being steamrolled by men in athletic sports, they are now also having to compete against men in beauty pageants.
In 2022, a man named Brían Nguyen won the title of Miss Greater Derry in a local New Hampshire pageant that’s part of the Miss America organization, while Sports Illustrated, a magazine known for featuring women models and athletes, recently featured a female-identifying man on its cover.
Another man who identifies as female, Dr. Rachel Levine, was named Woman of the Year by USA Today in 2022.
