Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is running for New York governor, and he wants to ban transgender students from girls’ school bathrooms and lockers statewide. His “Protect Our Daughters” plan would reserve girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations exclusively for biological females.
Blakeman announced the proposal this week, telling The Post it responds to the state Department of Education blocking similar restrictions approved by local school boards on parts of Long Island. The plan would create statewide standards, and Blakeman’s representatives said the pledge applies to public school students from kindergarten through 12th grade statewide.
Bathroom Standards
The core of Blakeman’s plan is simple: no student assigned male at birth can use girls’ facilities, regardless of how they identify themselves. That includes bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations on school trips.
Blakeman’s 2024 executive order already bars transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports on Nassau County-run properties. This new initiative extends that logic to every school in New York.
School Board Conflict
The plan is a direct response to a specific conflict. Last year, the Education Department struck down rules enacted by school boards in Locust Valley and Massapequa prohibiting transgender students from using locker rooms and restrooms aligned with their gender identity.
Blakeman said his initiative would protect local school boards from state overreach. He also said it would bar Albany legislators from stripping funds or issuing sanctions against districts wanting to keep transgender students out of female sports.
Hochul’s Stance
Governor Kathy Hochul has fought Blakeman on this issue since day one. Blakeman said Hochul fought him every step of the way when Nassau County acted to save girls’ sports, and he is now taking the fight into schools’ locker rooms and bathrooms.
Hochul’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
The Polling Picture
A Siena College poll from Sept. 26 showed Blakeman trailing Hochul by 9 points in the gubernatorial race. The poll does not break down the specific issue, but the margin is notable in a contest where every percentage point counts.
A Pew Research Center analysis found almost three-quarters of Americans oppose trans women competing against female athletes in sporting events. Both Republicans and Democrats are united on the issue, according to the analysis.
The Political Pushback
State Democratic Party spokesperson Addison Dick called Blakeman’s plan part of an “old Trump playbook.” Dick also criticized Blakeman’s campaign as failing.
The criticism is blunt, and it names the politics. Blakeman is running as the candidate who will stand against what he sees as cultural decline.
Enforcement Questions
Blakeman’s representatives failed to specify how he’d enforce such a measure. Albany sources said it would be an uphill battle as he’d likely have to convince the far-left state Legislature, which also controls the Department of Education, to back the plan.
The Road Ahead
Blakeman’s plan is a pledge, not a law. It requires passage through the state legislature, where the balance of power rests with Hochul’s party.
The governor has shown she will not let this pass quietly. Her allies are warning that the plan is “palling around with extremists.”
The Bottom Line
This is a fight over who controls education policy and how it gets written. Blakeman is pushing toward less centralized control.
The polling shows a divided public on trans women competing in women’s sports. Whether that translates to support for bathroom restrictions is not settled.
The election is in November. This issue is likely to continue through the campaign.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs smaller government and is against agencies writing their own authority, especially when it comes to telling schools how they must treat students. Blakeman’s plan would hand over school bathroom policy to a statewide standard rather than letting local boards decide, and it rests on a dispute with the state Department of Education that Blakeman says protects local control. The paper agrees that state overreach should be opposed, but it also warns against government offices writing their own authority.
The polling picture matters here. A Pew Research Center analysis found almost three-quarters of Americans oppose trans women competing against female athletes in sporting events, uniting both Republicans and Democrats on the issue. That reflects broad public concern about school facilities, though the polling does not break down the specific bathroom question directly. The paper notes the Siena College poll showing Blakeman trailing Hochul by 9 points, a margin that matters in a tight contest.
What the paper wants to see is decisions made closer to the people affected, not dictated from Albany. The plan’s fate depends on a state legislature controlled by Hochul’s party, and enforcement questions remain unanswered. The election is in November, and this issue is likely to continue through the campaign. The reader should watch whether the debate stays focused on local control or drifts toward mandates from above.
Key Facts Box
- Poll: Siena College poll from Sept. 26 shows Blakeman trailing Hochul by 9 points
- Pew Research: Almost three-quarters of Americans oppose trans women competing against female athletes
- Plan scope: Applies to public school students K-12 statewide
- Previous action: Blakeman’s 2024 executive order bars transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports on Nassau County-run properties
- Education Dept. action: Struck down rules in Locust Valley and Massapequa prohibiting transgender students from using locker rooms and restrooms aligned with their gender identity
Blakeman’s plan is a bold move, and it is designed to energize his base. Whether it wins over enough voters to overcome Hochul’s lead remains to be seen. The fight over bathrooms and locker rooms is just beginning.
Source material: “Blakeman vows to ban transgender students in girls’ school bathrooms and lockers in NY,” the New York Post.
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