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The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that USA Powerlifting “discriminated” against a biological transgender athlete by not allowing him to participate in a women’s competition in 2018.
The court’s decision was unanimous. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, and the other two were appointed by former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.
Trans athlete JayCee Cooper sued USA Powerlifting in 2021, alleging the organization engaged in discriminatory practices after denying the athlete’s application to compete in the women’s division in 2018, arguing it violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
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The court ruling said that “USA Powerlifting’s policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women’s division.”
“Because USA Powerlifting’s apparently discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of a discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually motivated USA Powerlifting’s decision to bar Cooper from competing. We therefore reverse that portion of the appeals court’s decision on this issue,” the chief justice wrote. Natalie Hudson, in Wednesday’s opinion.
“We agree with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is prima facie discriminatory; therefore, there is no genuine question that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper because of his transgender status.”
However, the ruling also sent part of the case back to a lower court to determine whether USA Powerlifting has a “legitimate business purpose” for excluding the trans athlete.
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After a lower court initially sided with Cooper in 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals returned the case to the lower court, saying there were “genuine factual issues” about 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 Supreme Court then decided to take up the case in July 2024.
USA Powerlifting has 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 create rules and a framework that respects the principles of fair play, not excluding anyone. To support trans athletes, USAPL created an open MX division in 2021 to serve all gender identities, including transgender and non-binary members. The organization welcomes trans referees in all competitions, open or not,” said USA Powerlifting President, Larry Maile, in a statement last year.
“Given that 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 them.”
Lawyers for USA Powerlifting called Wednesday’s decision a “partial victory for both sides,” according to The Independent.
Minnesota Republicans condemned the court’s decision.
Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth issued a statement condemning the ruling.
“For decades, women and girls fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed by Title IX. Unfortunately, those hard-won protections have come under increasing attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect women’s sports,” Demuth said.
“Ultimately, this issue is about safety and fairness, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that their daughters and granddaughters should not be forced to compete against boys. House Republicans are ready to act in the first weeks of next year’s legislative session to make clear that women’s sports are for girls.”
