NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — A New York county’s law banning transgender women from playing on female sports teams at county-run parks and recreational facilities has been halted for now.

A state appeals court on Wednesday barred Nassau County from enforcing the ban while a legal challenge brought on behalf of a local women’s roller derby league plays out.

The decision comes after a lower court judge upheld the local law Monday, and the New York Civil Liberties Union, which had sued on the roller derby league’s behalf, vowed to challenge the ruling.

Judge R. Bruce Cozzens had ruled the county ban was “narrowly tailored” and “does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation” as they can still play in coed sports leagues.

But the state appellate division, in its decision, said that making the women’s roller derby league become coed would “change the identity of the league,” jeopardizing not just its status with the sport’s governing body but also its ability to grow its membership and find teams to compete against.

Amanda “Curly Fry” Urena, president of the Long Island Roller Rebels, said players were “thrilled” the higher court saw through Nassau County’s “transphobic and cruel ban.”

Gabriella Larios, an attorney with the NYCLU, said the ruling “made it crystal clear that any attempt to ban trans women and girls from sports is prohibited by our state’s antidiscrimination laws.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman had proposed the ban as a way to protect girls and women from getting injured while competing against transgender women. It would have affected more than 100 sports facilities in the county on Long Island next to New York City.

The Republican, in an emailed statement, said the county will “continue to protect the integrity and safety of women’s sports.” A spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to follow-up questions about whether it would comply with the judge’s order.

Blakeman first imposed the ban through an executive order, but it was struck down after a lawsuit from the roller derby league and the NYCLU. The county’s Republican-controlled Legislature then passed a law containing the ban, setting off another round of litigation.

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge on Monday upheld a Long Island county’s law banning transgender women from playing on female sports teams at county-run parks and recreational facilities.

In a decision in a suit brought by a roller derby league, Judge R. Bruce Cozzens wrote that Nassau County’s ban is designed “to protect women and girls” and that transgender athletes can still play in coed sports leagues at the county’s facilities.

“The Court agrees that this Local Law is narrowly tailored to achieve the objectives and does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation,” he wrote. “The law regulates access to women and girls categories in the County run facilities for organized athletic events.”

Cozzens had previously denied a request to temporarily pause the enforcement of the ban while a lawsuit played out.

The roller derby league, the Long Island Roller Rebels, had sued over the law, arguing it violated state anti-discrimination laws. The New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on the league’s behalf, released a statement saying it would challenge Monday’s decision.

“Today’s decision sends a chilling message that trans people don’t belong in Nassau County, but the fight doesn’t end here,” said Gabriella Larios, staff attorney at the NYCLU, adding, “We are confident that New York courts will ultimately see the ban for what it is -– unlawful and discriminatory.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, had first imposed a ban through an executive order last year but it was struck down after a lawsuit from the roller derby league and the NYCLU. The county’s Republican-controlled Legislature then passed a law containing the ban, setting off the latest round of litigation.

In a statement Monday, Blakeman said, “We are grateful that the court found our legislation to be valid and legal.”