Nassau County (New York) Executive Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order Thursday that bans men from playing women’s sports. The ban went into effect immediately.
This is believed to be the first such executive order. It applies to female competitive sports, not co-ed sports, or sports where females compete against males.
The ban is for county-run facilities.
It’s crazy that an executive order like this had to be signed in the first place, but here we are. Kudos to Nassau County for leading the way. Let’s hope that more local officials will do the same across the country.
“This is not precluding anybody from participating in sports,” said Blakeman. “What it is, it’s identifying that there are women and girls who spend a tremendous amount of time and effort to excel and compete in their sports that are women’s sports…. And it is an unfair advantage for someone who is a biological male to compete against a biological female.”
Blakeman was surrounded by female athletes, including Kim Russell. Russell is a former women’s lacrosse coach at Oberlin College in Ohio. She was reassigned after speaking out against men competing against women.
The county has 100 ballfields and athletic facilities. If a team or league does not agree to the ban, they will be barred from the facilities.
The New York LGBT Network described the executive order as illegal.
“We are profoundly disappointed in Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s announcement of an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity,” said Dr. David Kilmnick, the group’s president and founder, in a statement. “This discriminatory move not only undermines the principles of inclusivity and fairness but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and exclusion.”
Blakeman said he is just following the science. It has nothing to do with stopping anyone from identifying as they wish to do. “They can identify as what they want. This executive order is based on science, on biology.”
One former high school athlete who is transitioning from male to female said, “It’s just people don’t care enough to do five minutes of research to understand something about our community.” People are just too stupid to understand, I guess. He said the ban is hurtful. Here’s what is ‘hurtful’ – young women being injured as men compete against them.
It is not safe for men to compete against women. Earlier this week, a girls’ high school basketball team in Massachusetts forfeited a game because three players were injured. One was hurt by a 6-foot male player on the other team.
The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell in Massachusetts forfeited its Feb. 8 game against the KIPP Academy at halftime, with coach Kevin Ortins deciding to end the game as his roster was getting depleted four days before a playoff game, the school said.
Fox News reported the KIPP Academy girls team has a male player with facial hair on its roster who identifies as female, and local Massachusetts outlet the Daily Item, which also reported the team has a male player, said “KIPP officials refused to confirm the player’s gender identification.”
How many more young women have to be injured before someone says enough is enough? Males who insist on competing against females don’t just cancel females, they are a physical threat to female athletes. They are bigger and stronger than the female athletes.
Nassau County Democrats released a statement.
“Nassau County residents were falsely promised tax cuts and a fairer property assessment system from this county executive, instead they received a county executive who has been more interested in self promotion by spending public money on private golf outings, swanky galas, and unrelated press conferences – such as today’s focus on legislating little leagues, which has nothing to do with his responsibilities.”
That’s a weird statement. But, it’s from Democrats who want to normalize abnormal behavior. The political party that insists it supports women is showing its true colors – it’s ok for men to cancel women’s sports.
Blakeman offers common sense and is standing up for basic fairness.
“I see no reason why a biological male has to compete versus biological females. It makes no sense,” Blakeman said. “It’s a fairness issue, and frankly I interpret it as bullying on the part of biological males.”
Blakeman said he respects all people, and male athletes can compete on male or coed teams, but he said this is about fairness.
“A biological male is bigger, stronger and faster than a biological female. For a biological male to compete versus a biological female in tennis or basketball or golf is unfair,” Blakeman said.
It is going to take all like-minded people to speak up and help stop this craziness. To save women’s sports, players, coaches, and sports leagues are going to have to take a stand. It may be that this won’t stop until women’s teams refuse to play against men. That will deny women the chance to play sports but it may be a temporary action that will bring common sense back to athletic competition.