A county executive in New York is suing state Attorney General Letitia James (D) to block her from stopping an executive order that bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
To recap, on Friday, Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease-and-desist letter to lawmakers in Nassau County over an executive order that protects women’s sports from so-called “transgender athletes.” James ordered county executive Bruce Blakeman to “immediately rescind” the order.
"The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said of the order. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.”
On X, Blakeman wrote that the order “stops the bullying of women and girls by transgender males who have many outlets to compete without putting the safety and security of females in danger.”
My EO stops the bullying of women and girls by transgender males who have many outlets to compete without putting the safety and security of females in danger.
— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) March 1, 2024
In Nassau we will continue to fight for females’ right to be safe, secure, and have a level playing field to compete. https://t.co/sq9OI45vIn
Now, Blakeman and a set of parents are pursuing legal action against James (via Fox News):
Blakeman and parents Marc and Jeanine Mullen, who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit and whose 16-year-old daughter competes in women’s volleyball in Nassau County, said an "unfair playing field is created when a biological male competes against biological females, and further recognizing the risk of serious injury to biological females."
"By this action, the plaintiffs seek to prevent the defendants from doing exactly what it is that they have alleged the County of Nassau and County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman have done: unconstitutionally discriminating against individuals on the basis of gender in the limited and narrow context of sporting events," the lawsuit states.
In a statement to Fox News, a spokesperson for James’ office said that Blakeman’s order is “transphobic.”
"County Executive Blakeman’s executive order is transphobic and discriminatory. Our laws protect New Yorkers from discrimination, and the Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding those laws and protecting our communities," said the spokesperson. "This is not up for debate: the executive order is illegal, and it will not stand in New York."