The House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill Tuesday, Jan. 14 that would bar trans athletes from competing on female sports teams, but both of Nassau County’s congress members voted against the legislation.
“Today’s bill is clear and dramatic government overreach,” Rep. Laura Gillen (NY-4) said in a statement. “The groups best equipped to deal with this and with the requisite information and expertise are found at the local and league level: they know how to ensure the safety of their athletes better than officials far removed in Washington.”
The House passed the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” through a 218-206 vote, with all House Republicans and only two Democrats supporting it.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-3) also voted against the House bill. Efforts to solicit comment from him were unavailing.
The bill’s fate is now in the hands of the GOP-controlled Senate.
The bill is an amendment to education law that would define an athlete’s gender solely by their “reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” according to the law. This would determine the athlete’s eligibility under Title IX law.
Gillen said that while she favors athletic safety measures, she said those measures are already being addressed locally.
“My stance has been clear: as the mother of a teenage daughter who is a student athlete, of course I want to ensure all our daughters are safe and have the opportunity to fairly compete in play and for scholarships,” Gillen said. “This is a deeply felt issue to many and rules on participation must be enforced to keep student athletes safe and competition fair. School districts, sports associations, and leagues across America, including in Nassau County, are already doing this.”
Nassau County has already implemented similar legislation to ban trans athletes from competing in sports.
Last February Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing on female sports teams at county facilities.
The law does not prevent transgender men and boys from competing on male teams.
State Attorney General Letitia James issued a cease-and-desist order in response to the executive order. Her office claimed it was discriminatory and violated human and civil rights laws.
The State Supreme Court struck down the executive order in May after the New York Civil Liberties Union and a Long Island roller derby team filed a lawsuit against the trans athlete ban.
The trans athlete ban was abolished in court on the basis that Blakeman did not have the authority to issue it without legislative action.
In response, the Nassau County Legislature passed the legislation along party lines in a 12-6 vote.
The county’s law was also met with pushback, including a lawsuit claiming disability discrimination that was dismissed in court and denounced by LGBTQ+ groups.
Local LGBTQ+ groups are also denouncing the federal legislation banning trans athletes.
David Kilmnick, president and founder of the LGBT Network, called the bill’s passage a “shameful and unprecedented step backward in civil rights.”
“This discriminatory legislation weaponizes the false narrative that transgender athletes pose a threat to sports while targeting an already marginalized community for political gain,” Kilmnick said in a statement. “As President and Founder of the LGBT Network, I cannot remain silent as Congress attempts to legalize hate under the guise of fairness.”
While the bill banning trans athletes is being referred to as a method of protection, Kilmnick said it isn’t.
“This bill is not about protecting women and girls—it is about erasing transgender people,” Kilmnick said. “It misuses Title IX, a historic civil rights law meant to prevent discrimination, to instead enshrine bigotry into federal policy.”
Kilmnick said the determination of a person’s sex solely based on their determination at birth is an “outdated, harmful notion that erases the lived realities of transgender individuals and flies in the face of science, equity, and compassion.”
He expressed concern over what the bill could permit, such as genital inspections. He called these practices “invasive and humiliating.”
“Transgender youth are not a threat to sports or society—they are our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, deserving of the same respect, dignity, and opportunities as everyone else,” Kilmnick said. “By passing this bill, Congress has prioritized fear and ignorance over facts and fairness. This bill disregards the evidence that trans inclusion in sports causes no measurable harm while ignoring the real issues facing women and girls, such as unequal funding, sexual harassment, and barriers to leadership opportunities.”
