A New York Appellate Court Halts Anti-Trans Sports Ban

When Nassau County officials kicked off their campaign to shut transgender girls and women out of sports by banning them from using county-owned athletic facilities, they surely had no idea it would mean taking on the Long Island Roller Rebels as their unflinching, relentless opponent.

Because roller derby isn’t just a game. It’s a movement. The Roller Rebels embrace the fiercely inclusive spirit of their sport. And none were willing to leave their trans teammates behind.

On and off the rink, the Roller Rebels don’t back down. Through a drawn-out battle against anti-trans discrimination in their community, the team has stayed strong, and the NYCLU is proud to fight beside them.

Recently, we celebrated a major victory that enables trans girls and women in Nassau County to pursue the sports they love while litigation proceeds without sacrificing their rights or their dignity.

Bout After Bout: A Winding Path to Victory

In February of 2024, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman issued an executive order that categorically barred trans women and girls from playing women’s and girls’ sports at county-run facilities. The sweeping order applied to over 100 different athletic facilities and affected a wide range of people, from school-aged athletes using county facilities to recreational adult groups. Under the order, the Roller Rebels were barred from using Nassau County athletic facilities for play and practice simply because they are a trans-inclusive team.

Refusing to accept this discrimination, the Roller Rebels joined forces with the NYCLU to sue Blakeman – and we won. We argued that his executive order violated New York State’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law, which explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. That May, a Nassau County Supreme Court judge struck down the executive order, finding that Blakeman did not have authority to issue it.

But the fight wasn’t over yet. That June, Blakeman and his conspirators made their next attempt to codify anti-trans discrimination in Nassau County by passing a local law which, like the failed executive order, prohibits trans girls and women from practicing sports in county-run facilities. It’s blatant discrimination, and it’s not allowed in New York.

So the NYCLU and the Roller Rebels immediately returned to court to challenge the law. On October 6, 2025, a Nassau County Supreme Court upheld the ban. Then, just two days later, we achieved a major victory when a higher court granted our request for a preliminary injunction. The appellate court recognized that Nassau County’s attempt to ban trans women and girls from sports is prohibited by our state’s antidiscrimination laws.

This injunction means that Nassau County cannot enforce the law while litigation continues.

It also means that the Roller Rebels should be able to practice and play in their county’s athletic facilities – the ones funded by their tax dollars, which they have the right to access as their true selves.

Attacks against LGBTQ+ rights are on the rise nationwide, and this ban is nothing less than a cynical effort to shut trans people out of public spaces.

We won’t stop fighting alongside the Roller Rebels until this harmful and cruel law is struck down for good.