This women’s roller derby league is standing up for trans athletes by suing their county

A women's roller derby league in New York is suing their county over an ordinance that bans female sports teams with transgender athletes from using local facilities.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman issued an executive order on Feb. 22 mandating groups seeking a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department to “expressly designate” themselves as either male, female, or coed. "Female" teams with transgender athletes will be outright denied permits, while the ban does not apply to "male" teams with transgender athletes.

The order prevents transgender women athletes and their teams from accessing over 100 athletic facilities in the county, including fields, basketball courts, ice rinks, swimming pools, and tennis courts.

State Attorney General Letitia James initially warned Blakeman to “cease and desist” after his order, writing that "pernicious discrimination such as this is precisely what New York’s Human and Civil Rights Laws proscribe." James gave him a week to rescind the “transphobic and discriminatory" order before she said she would pursue legal action. Just before that deadline, Blakeman filed a separate lawsuit asking a New York federal court to affirm the legality or his order.

The New York Civil Liberties Union got involved in the ongoing battle Monday, filing a lawsuit on behalf of a local roller derby league, the Long Island Roller Rebels. The groups contended that discrimination based on gender identity is unlawful under the state's civil rights codes, as affirmed by James.

Because of the order, LIRR is “now faced with the choice to either exclude transgender women from their league — in direct contradiction to their internal values and state law — or forego access to Nassau County facilities," the suit reads, via the Associated Press.

LIRR member Amanda “Curly Fry” Urena called the order "cruel" in a statement, emphasizing the "dangerous message" it sends.

“This cruel policy sends the dangerous message that trans people don’t belong in Nassau County,” Urena said. “We hope the court sees this policy for what it is — transphobic and unjust — and makes sure Nassau County is a safe space for trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people.”