USA Powerlifting Required To Allow Trans-Females To Compete In Women’s Division
USA Powerlifting lost a years-long court battle which has resulted in transgender females being allowed to compete in the women’s division.
JayCee Cooper, a biological man who identifies as a transgender female, filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in 2019 because USA Powerlifting (USAPL) would not allow him to compete in the women’s division. After only joining the sport of powerlifting in 2018, Cooper decided to enter into a women’s division competition scheduled for February 28, 2019. On December 5, 2018, the USAPL sent Cooper an email explaining that he would not be eligible to compete.
The complaint filed by Cooper explained that USAPL’s exclusion of transgender athletes was discriminatory and an “outlier” compared to other state, national, and international athletic policies regarding transgender athletes.
Cooper filed an official discrimination lawsuit against USA Powerlifting in a state court in 2021, which he just recently won. This week the athletic organization was told to “cease and desist from all unfair discriminatory practices” towards individuals with gender identities that do not align with their biological sex.
In an interview with KARE-TV, Cooper explained, “I was fed up with the way that I was being treated; I was fed up with the way that my community was being treated, and enough was enough.”
USA Powerlifting’s previous policy regarding transgender athletes explained that it is not an act of discrimination to exclude some individuals from their sporting league on the basis that they possess unfair advantages over their opponents.
The organization also explained that it uses the 2019 Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Report to scientifically back its policy.
“There are rules surrounding requirements for membership as with any organization. Policy is set for the most fundamental of all of the rules, drug testing and secondly fairness in competition.”
“While the term discrimination is used to catch the attention of the public, it is most often misused. We are a sports organization with rules and policies. They apply to everyone to provide a level playing field. We have restrictions such as age eligibility . . . No, you are not discriminated against because you are a 40-year-old college student that is not allowed to compete at Collegiate Nationals. No, we are not discriminating against your 7-year-old daughter by not letting her compete.”
USA Powerlifting’s former Transgender Participation Policy
USAPL’s President Larry Maile has expressed an interest in appealing the court’s decision, stating in an interview with KARE, “We have received a summary judgment decision from the Court finding us liable for discrimination. We respectfully disagree with the Court’s conclusions. We are considering all of our options, including appeal.”
Cooper explained that despite his win in court, he still has “mixed feelings” about USA Powerlifting, and did not make a statement on whether or not he would compete in the league now that the ban has been lifted.
