Court: USA Powerlifting Must Allow Trans Athletes to Compete in Women's Division

Facts

• Transgender female athlete JayCee Cooper won a discrimination case against USA Powerlifting last week, reversing the federation's previous ban on Cooper from competing in female events.¹
• The ruling also mandated USA Powerlifting to 'cease and desist from all unfair discriminatory practices' relating to sexual orientation and gender identity as well as revise its policies within two weeks.²
• This comes after Cooper first filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in 2019 before filing an official lawsuit in 2021 against the national powerlifting organization for discrimination against transgender athletes.³
• In its decision, the court cited an 'increased risk of depression and suicide, lack of access to coaching and practice facilities, or other performance suppression common to transgender persons.'¹
• USA Powerlifting President Lawrence J. Maile said the organization’s position of transgender athletes competing in women's sports aims at 'balancing the needs' of cis-women and transgender women.⁴
• As many female athletes and their advocates, including NFL Pro Bowler Marcellus Wiley, speak out against allowing non-biological women in female ports, the USA Powerlifting says it is considering all options going forward, including appeal.⁵

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²NBC, ³Daily Mail, ⁴New York Post and ⁵Wciv.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Them. The ruling in favor of JayCee Cooper is a great win for trans rights and a step in the right direction for a community that is constantly under attack. States across the US are trying to discriminate against transgender women by prohibiting them from competing in women’s sports, and that open bigotry cannot be accepted. Hopefully, this is just the first of many future victories for LGBTQ+ rights.
• Right narrative, as provided by Daily wire. This ruling is clearly ludicrous and unfair, but this is the 'woke' world we live in. We're already seeing the complete dominance in women’s sports by trans athletes who have the hormone and muscle mass of men, but the science deniers are willing to ignore the biological factors at play at the expense of America's young women and girls. The only fair alternative would be to create a separate category for trans athletes.