Minnesota Appeals Court Upholds USA Powerlifting’s Exclusion of Transgender Athlete From Women’s Division
A recent decision by a Minnesota appeals court favored USA Powerlifting in a legal battle involving a trans woman athlete, JayCee Cooper, who was barred from competing in the women’s division. Cooper had sued the organization, claiming discrimination, but the court ruled in favor of USA Powerlifting.
Previously, Cooper had challenged USA Powerlifting’s decision after being denied entry into the women’s category. Initially, the district court ruled in her favor, but USA Powerlifting appealed the decision, leading to the recent ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
The court found that the exclusion of Cooper from the women’s division was not based on her gender identity but on the physical advantages she retained from male puberty. USA Powerlifting defended its decision, emphasizing the need for separate categories in the sport to ensure fairness, pointing to scientific evidence of the strength benefits carried over by transgender women post-testosterone suppression.
Moving forward, the case might proceed to a lower court for further examination or could potentially reach the Supreme Court, depending on Cooper’s legal team’s next steps. The judge noted that there were no significant facts supporting the discrimination claims.
Court documents revealed Cooper’s background as a participant in men’s competitions before joining USA Powerlifting in 2018. Despite transitioning in her ’20s and undergoing hormone therapy, her previous male physiology factored into the organization’s decision to exclude her from the women’s division.
This legal dispute comes in the midst of broader discussions on the participation of transgender athletes in sports, mirroring similar debates such as the recent lawsuit against the NCAA over its transgender athlete policy and compliance with Title IX.
