Minnesota Supreme Court to hear discrimination case of trans athlete denied from entering powerlifting competitions

The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a discrimination case filed by a trans athlete who was denied entry in a USA Powerlifting competition, announced Gender Justice.

JayCee Cooper initially filed the lawsuit in Ramsey County in 2021, represented by Gender Justice and two law firms. She had also previously filed charges through the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in 2019, seeking a standard that would allow trans athletes to compete in the category of their gender identity, Gender Justice said.

In February of 2023, the Ramsey County District Court ruled that Cooper had indeed been discriminated against.

In March of 2024, the Minnesota Court of Appeals stated that discrimination on athletes based on their gender identity violates the Minnesota Human Rights Act, but sent the case back to district court to determine whether Cooper was discriminated against for being transgender. This ruling overturned Cooper’s initial win.

KSTP has reached out to USA Powerlifting for comment and will update this story if a response is received.