New York's Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman insisted on Newsmax on Friday that the county's new order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports and leagues does not mean the county is anti-transgender, but does want to protect female athletes.
"We welcome everybody into our county from every race, every religion, every ethnic group, and every lifestyle," Blakeman, a Republican, told "National Report." "Biological males should compete either on male teams or they should compete on co-ed teams and we welcome them to do so."
The new policy, taking effect immediately, comes while the county is issuing its licenses for leagues to use Nassau's swimming center; baseball, softball, and soccer fields; and its tennis courts this spring and summer.
The order will not apply to co-ed leagues or in sports where biological girls or women want to play on male teams.
"Women have been fighting for fairness in sports, and just when we get to a point where they're getting that type of fairness, we have biological males who are bullying their way onto leagues and teams that are advertised or identified for girls or for women," Blakeman told Newsmax.
Nassau County's new ban is already under fire from New York State officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, who said the county is trying to "score cheap political points" by attacking "some of our state's most vulnerable children," reports Politico.
Attorney General Letitia James has also criticized the Nassau County ban, saying it is "transphobic and deeply dangerous" and said her office is reviewing its options on pushing back on the measure.
Blakeman said he's not worried about James' threats, as the county's legal team "thoroughly researched" the issue.
He also argued that females are a "protected class," meaning that if transgender people are also protected, a court would have to use a "balancing act" to determine a ruling and he believes the "equities tip" toward female athletes.
"Transgender athletes have a competitive advantage by being biological males," he said. "They're bigger. They're stronger. They're faster and it would be unfair and inequitable for a court to allow this to happen when there are other sports alternatives and outlets for them, such as all-male teams or co-ed teams."
Blakeman further denied that there are politics at play, calling the ban a "fairness issue."
"Biological males are bullying their way onto these teams and taking advantage of these girls and these women, so I would hope that the attorney general joins with us," he said.
Blakeman said the county has almost 100 facilities, and the ban means that when teams sign up to use them, they will have to adhere to a clause that states any team that advertises as being all-female cannot include transgender athletes.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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