An earlier ruling by the USA Powerlifting firm, which prohibited the person from joining the women’s group, was overturned by a Minnesota appeals court.
JayCee Cooper, a trans woman, sued the firm in 2021 after being rejected from the women’s group in 2018. Cooper claimed in the complaint that the organization had broken the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against people who “have or are perceived to have a self-image or identity not usually associated with one’s genetic maleness or femaleness.”
A city judge ruled last year that Cooper had been the subject of discrimination, and they then filed an appeal against the ruling. Cooper next cross-appealed, and on Monday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals decided the sports club did not discriminate against the person.
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“USA Powerlifting did not remove JayCee Cooper because of her gender identity,” the group’s lead prosecutor Ansis V. Viksnins told Fox News Digital in a statement. Due to her biology, she was unable to compete in the women’s section at USA Powerlifting because she went through adolescence as a man.
Maintaining distinct categories based on sex, age, and weight is required to ensure that athletes with similar characteristics have equal chances of success, the statement continued. According to medical research, athletes who have experienced male puberty have a significant strength advantage over those who experience female puberty. Additionally, the results of medical studies indicate that suppressing testosterone only marginally reduces the power advantage. Because weightlifting is a power sport, there are major differences between the strength levels of the competitors. It is necessary to keep fairness and integrity in the game by excluding male and female trans powerlifters from the women’s section.
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The situation may be brought up again in a lower court, or Cooper may bring it before the Supreme Court. Cooper’s lawyer did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
According to Judge Matthew Johnson’s lengthy opinion, the court concluded “that there are no genuine issues of material fact on Cooper’s claim of aiding and abetting discrimination and, consequently, affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment on that claim”.
Cooper played sports for men before changing her gender somewhere between 2015 and 2016 when she was 28 years old, according to court records. Cooper joined USA Powerlifting in 2018 and is now a part.
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Cooper requested permission to take spironolactone, a medication prescribed for gender dysphoria, with a provision. After a few weeks, estrogen is generally taken as a component of the hormone transition to female.
“USAPL has satisfied its burden to produce evidence of a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason. Cooper’s female gender identity co-exists with her male physiology,” the opinion stated.
The appeals decision comes as trans athletes have become a hot topic. Last year, 16 current and former women athletes filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, saying the group’s trans policy violates Title IX.
