Former Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner said that she supported a local ordinance in New York that barred women's sports teams with female transgender athletes from using the country's facilities.
The Associated Press reported that the ban applies to over 100 athletic facilities in the Long Island suburbs. Jenner, who won the gold medal and broke the world record in decathlon in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, said that allowing trans athletes like herself against other women would “ruin women’s sports” in the future and “all I’m trying to do is protect women."
The reality star, who came out as a trans woman in 2015 said of the ban, “Let’s stop it now while we can.”
Nassau County's Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican like Jenner, issued the order in February, which requires any teams, leagues or organizations to request a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department to share the athletes' genders. However, the ban doesn't apply to men's teams with trans athletes — only teams with trans women would be denied a permit to use the facilities. This includes basketball and tennis courts, swimming pools and ice rinks.
While Jenner said that she has “sympathy” for LGBTQ people and “understands their struggles," she has been a longtime opponent of trans athletes from competing in women's sports. The former athlete argued that allowing transgender women to compete with cisgender women would weaken the progress female athletes have secured under Title IX, a law banning gender discrimination in programs that receive federal funds.
