(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York Attorney General Letitia James may soon find herself explaining her threats against a local county politician who barred transgender individuals from competing against biological women.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against James for challenging his order, which questions the fairness of allowing transgender individuals to compete in women’s sports.
On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Nassau County, I have filed a federal lawsuit against @NewYorkStateAG to protect women’s sports and ensure a safe environment for women.
Bullying of women and girls will not be tolerated! https://t.co/i6bC6DftQG
— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) March 6, 2024
The lawsuit followed James’s issuance of a cease-and-desist letter, dubbing the sports-related mandate as “discriminatory,” “transphobic” and “illegal,” as reported by the New York Post.
Blakeman is challenging James’s characterization in the lawsuit, clarifying that the mandate does not discriminate against biological males as they can freely participate in competitions aligned with their biological gender.
Filed in the Eastern District of New York, the lawsuit accuses James of committing the very illegality she alleged Blakeman committed.
“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,” Blakeman’s attorneys outlined.
James slammed the lawsuit in statements to the NY Post, reiterating the rhetoric in her cease-and-desist letter.
“County Executive Blakeman’s executive order is transphobic and discriminatory,” she claimed. “Our laws protect New Yorkers from discrimination, and the Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding those laws and protecting our communities.”
The law is clear: you can’t discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression.
I’m demanding @NassauExec immediately rescind his transphobic and illegal order within 5 days, or I will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.https://t.co/9JCO3RWwXx
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) March 1, 2024
The Republican County official suggest that women’s rights precede those alluded by James’s interpretation of the New York Human Rights Law.
As reported by the Post, Blakeman’s attorneys wrote, “The defendants’ reliance upon and application of the New York Human Rights Law violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution … the Human Rights Law is unconstitutional because it elevates transgender women to a level not recognized by Federal law in the athletics context all to the detriment of biological girls and women, which are federally recognized.”
Conservative activist Riley Gaines, in remarks to Newsweek, predicted that the Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, could put an end to left-wing efforts to include transgender individuals in competitions of their preferred gender.
“There’s a couple of big cases that I am excited for which will probably make it up to the Supreme Court,” Gaines hinted. “The Supreme Court has never heard a Title IX case—it would be huge.”
Gaines gained national attention after winning second place in a swim contest against swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman born male.
Adults letting boys play girls sports say it’s all fun and games, until someone gets hurt. And guess what? Someone just got hurt. The coach of a Massachusetts high school basketball team just had to forfeit after a transgender athlete injured an opposing player. @Riley_Gaines_… pic.twitter.com/AV8tx7Mo2v
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) February 21, 2024
