On Monday, October 6, 2025, Nassau County Supreme Court Judge R. Bruce Cozzens delivered a ruling that is already reverberating well beyond the borders of Long Island. In a closely watched case, Judge Cozzens upheld a local law barring transgender women and girls from participating on female sports teams at county-run parks and recreational facilities, a decision that has sparked intense debate and drawn national attention to the ongoing legal and cultural battles over transgender rights in sports.
The law at the center of the controversy, known formally as Local Law 121-24, was enacted in July 2024 after a previous executive order with similar provisions was blocked by the courts in May. According to NEXSTAR, the law requires any sports entity seeking to use a Nassau County facility to designate teams as male, female, or coed, with designations based strictly on the biological sex assigned at birth as listed on official birth certificates. While transgender athletes may still participate in coed or male-designated sports, they are barred from joining female-only teams at these public facilities.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by the Long Island Roller Rebels, an adult women’s roller derby league that welcomes transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive women as players. The league, represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), argued that the law violated New York’s Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Municipal Home Rule Laws. The Roller Rebels, whose membership includes at least three individuals who would be excluded under the law, maintained that the measure sends a "government-endorsed message" that transgender people and their teams do not belong, amounting to categorical exclusion from equal access to public facilities.
Judge Cozzens, a member of the conservative Federalist Society, framed the law as a measure to "protect women and girls." In his decision, he wrote, "The power differential between adult individuals who are born male and those born female is substantial and therefore may be more dangerous. This would create additional risk to the individual and potential liability creating costs to the municipality. The municipality is not obligated to provide a recreational setting for each and every individual residing within its confines. The use of County facilities is based on the priorities and needs of the population as determined by their elected leaders."
Cozzens further cited 2022 scientific research to support his position, stating, "There can be no question that biological males, regardless of transitioning, would be possessed of greater athleticism and speed, strength, muscle mass, stronger hearts and greater bone density than biological females." He added, "Given that sports are currently segregated into male and female divisions because of superior male athletic performance, and that estrogen therapy will not reverse most athletic performance parameters, it follows that transgender women will enter the female division with an inherent advantage because of their prior male physiology."
In the eyes of the court, the law does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation, since they may still play in coed or male leagues. Cozzens concluded that the law is "narrowly tailored enough to achieve safety and competitive fairness," and that it "regulates activity in a legal and reasonable fashion."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who signed the law last year, welcomed the decision. As reported by NEXSTAR, Blakeman expressed gratitude, stating, "We are grateful that the court found our law to be valid and legal. The county will continue to protect girls and women from unsafe and unfair competition." He has previously justified the law as a means to stop "bullying by transgender females who want to compete against biological females." However, the original lawsuit pointed out that the county executive never identified any complaints about trans athletes bullying women or girls in Nassau County sports.
Opponents of the law, including the Roller Rebels and the NYCLU, have been unequivocal in their criticism. Curly Fry, President of the Long Island Roller Rebels, called the ban "cruel" and said, "We will not be deterred." Gabriella Larios, a staff attorney at the NYCLU, echoed this sentiment: "The fight doesn’t end here. We will challenge this decision to ensure trans girls and women can play sports freely, just like everyone else. We are confident that New York courts will ultimately see the ban for what it is—unlawful and discriminatory." The NYCLU has promised to continue the legal battle, vowing to appeal the ruling and seek broader protections for transgender athletes.
As reported by The Advocate, LGBTQ advocacy groups have decried the ruling as a damaging blow, particularly for trans youth seeking acceptance and community through sports. A statement from the NEW Pride Agenda read, "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." The group further highlighted the mental health consequences, noting that nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ young people in New York State have seriously considered suicide in the past year and drawing a direct link between anti-trans laws and 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," the statement continued.
The legal arguments in the case also touched upon the interplay between state and federal law. While New York’s Human Rights Law, as amended by the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act in 2019, protects gender identity and expression, the county argued—and the court agreed—that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 allows for distinctions based on biological sex in sports, particularly in the interest of safety and fairness. Judge Cozzens cited a 2024 Sixth Circuit ruling that federal law supports separating sports and bathrooms "in accordance with one’s biological sex without accommodating gender identity." According to the court, if state law were interpreted to require inclusion of trans women and girls, it would conflict with federal law, triggering the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The law’s impact is far-reaching, affecting about 100 public facilities across Nassau County, including pools, ice rinks, soccer fields, and basketball courts. It applies not only to school teams but also to recreational leagues, touching the lives of countless athletes and families. The law’s critics argue that it requires "invasive policing of gender identity and expression" and undermines state laws that allow individuals to legally change the gender on their birth certificates and protect the confidentiality of those records.
Despite the setback in court, advocates for transgender rights remain resolute. As Larios of the NYCLU put it, "Today’s decision sends a chilling message that trans people don’t belong in Nassau County, but the fight doesn’t end here." With appeals promised and public debate intensifying, Nassau County’s sports ban seems destined to remain at the center of state and national conversations about fairness, safety, and the fundamental rights of transgender Americans.
For now, the ruling stands—a flashpoint in the broader struggle over inclusion and equality, and a reminder that, in the words of one advocate, "This is bigger than sports in just one county."