Minnesota court rules USA Powerlifting discriminated against trans athlete
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The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that USA Powerlifting “discriminated” against a biological male transgender athlete by not allowing that athlete to compete in women’s competition in 2018.
The court’s decision was taken unanimously. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic Governor Tim Walz, and the other two were appointed by former Democratic Governor Mark Dayton.
Trans athlete JayCee Cooper filed a lawsuit against USA Powerlifting in 2021, claiming the organization engaged in discriminatory practices after it rejected the athlete’s application to compete in the women’s category in 2018, claiming it violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
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The court’s decision stated that “USA Powerlifting’s policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women’s division.”
“Since USA Powerlifting’s superficial discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually caused USA Powerlifting’s decision to bar Cooper from competing,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote in her opinion Wednesday. “Therefore, the appellate court’s decision on this issue is a We’re reversing the part.”
“We agree with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is prima facie discriminatory, so there is no real dispute that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper because of his transgender status.”
But the ruling also sent part of the case back to a lower court to determine whether USA Powerlifting had a “legitimate business purpose” for excluding the transgender athlete.
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After a lower court first sided with Cooper in 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court, saying it had “real fact issues” over whether USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper because of the athlete’s transgender identity and whether the organization had a “legitimate business reason” for doing so. The state’s Supreme Court later decided to hear the case in July 2024.
USA Powerlifting argued that allowing transgender women to compete in the women’s division would put other women at a disadvantage.
“Our goal at USAPL is to establish rules and framework that promote the principles of fair play so that we do not exclude anyone,” USA Powerlifting President Larry Maile said in a statement last year. “To support transgender athletes, the USAPL created an open MX division in 2021 to serve all gender identities, including transgender and non-binary members. The organization welcomes transgender referees at all competitions, open or otherwise.” welcomes.” he said.
“Since science shows that those born biologically male have a profound physical advantage over athletes born female, our responsibility is to define legitimate categories to fairly place athletes within those categories.”
Lawyers for USA Powerlifting called Wednesday’s decision “a partial victory for both sides.” Independent.
Minnesota Republicans condemned the court’s decision.
Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth released a statement condemning the decision.
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“For decades, women and girls have fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX. Unfortunately, these hard-won protections are increasingly coming under attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect girls’ sports,” Demuth said. he said.
“This issue is ultimately about safety and fairness, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that their daughters and grandchildren should not be forced to compete with boys. House Republicans are ready to take action in the first weeks of next year’s legislative session to make clear that girls’ sports are for girls.”
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