Minnesota Supreme Court rules ban of trans powerlifter from women’s event was discrimination

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that USA Powerlifting “discriminated” against a biological male transgender athlete by not allowing that athlete into a women’s competition in 2018. 

The court’s decision was unanimous. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democrat Governor Tim Walz, and the other two were appointed by former Democrat Governor Mark Dayton. 

The trans athlete, JayCee Cooper, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021, alleging the organization engaged in discriminatory practices after rejecting the athlete’s application to compete in the women’s division in 2018, arguing it violated Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.

The court’s 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 facially discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually motivated USA Powerlifting’s decision to prohibit Cooper from competing. We therefore reverse the part of the court of appeals’ decision on this issue,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote in Wednesday’s opinion.

“We agree with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is discriminatory on its face; there is therefore no genuine dispute that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper because of her 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 sent the case back to the trial court, saying there were “genuine issues of fact” 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’s 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 uphold the principles of fair play, not to exclude anyone. To support trans athletes, USAPL created an open MX division in 2021 to serve all gender identities, including transgender and nonbinary members. The organization welcomes trans referees in all competitions, open or otherwise,” USA Powerlifting President Larry Maile said in a statement last year.

“Since science shows those who were born biologically male have a profound physical advantage over female-born athletes, our responsibility is to define legitimate categories to fairly place athletes within them.”

Attorneys for USA Powerlifting called Wednesday’s decision a “partial victory for both sides,” per The Independent. 

Minnesota Republicans have condemned the court’s decision. 

Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth issued a statement decrying the ruling.

“For decades, women and girls fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX. Sadly, those hard-won protections have increasingly come under attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect girls’ sports,” Demuth said. 

“This issue is ultimately 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 girls’ sports are for girls.”

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