Statement: NEW Pride Agenda Condemns Upholding of Nassau County Trans Athlete Ban
Contact:
Max Schulman, max@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167
NEW Pride Agenda Condemns Upholding of Nassau County Trans Athlete Ban
(October 6, 2025) –– The NEW Pride Agenda, New York State’s leading LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization, issued the following statement in response to a Nassau County judge’s decision to uphold a local law that bars transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports at county-run facilities:
“New York must remain a beacon of hope and safety for transgender and gender nonconforming people—especially as we face a coordinated national effort to erase our existence from public life.
“Nassau County’s law is a disruptive, bullying policy intended to isolate and demonize those who already live at the margins. It denies transgender youth the simple freedom to play, to belong, and to thrive. As parents, families, and community advocates have stated from the start of this obsessive outright denial of equal treatment: the County Executive and Legislature created a ‘solution’ in search of a problem.
“This is bigger than sports in just one county. Nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ young people in New York State have seriously considered suicide in the past year. Anti-trans laws across the country – including those that bar transgender students from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity – are directly contributing to rising suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youth. Denying any youth affirming opportunities like team sports is an attack on their safety, their mental health, and their right to be themselves.
“We will continue to hold the line—
because we know what is at stake if we do not.”
“Not only is this law entirely out of line with our state’s values – it is illegal. Our state constitution explicitly bans discrimination based on gender identity and expression. We are in solidarity with the New York Civil Liberties Union in its appeal of this ruling, because we cannot allow local governments to carve out islands of discrimination in New York.
“If the freedom to participate is not protected in this state, it will only add to the rollbacks of freedoms seen across the country. The NEW Pride Agenda urges our state’s elected leaders to rigorously enforce New York’s anti-discrimination laws and ensure that transgender New Yorkers can live, play, and exist freely and safely. We will continue to hold the line—because we know what is at stake if we do not.”
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