Long Island’s Nassau County has banned transgender athletes from competing in girls or women’s sports at all county run facilities via an executive order issued on Thursday. The order, effective immediately, was announced by Republican Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman and represents one of the latest restrictions in the United States on transgender athletes’ participation in sports based on their gender identities. According to ESPN, 23 states had passed laws limiting transgender athletes’ ability to participate in school sports in line with their gender identity as of last August.
In signing the executive order, Blakeman enacted what is believed to be the first ban like it in the country. Sports teams using Nassau County’s facilities will have to acknowledge they will adhere to the new policy under the license or operating permit the teams have with the county, according to CNN coverage of Blakeman’s statements at…