ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the private organization USA Powerlifting wrongfully discriminated against a Minnesota transgender athlete by prohibiting her from weightlifting events. Transgender weightlifter JayCee Cooper sued in 2019 that USA Powerlifting was violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act against discrimination. The Supreme agreed at least in part. The judges remanded the issue back to a lower court to assess whether discrimination was “reasonably necessary” for USA Powerlifting “to achieve its central mission” — a exception the law allows. The organization Gender Justice, which helped represent Cooper, called the Suprmee Court’s public accommodations ruling a major victory for transgender rights.
Comment: On transgender girls in sports
Cooper. Weightlifter.