Minnesota Supreme Court to take up discrimination lawsuit brought by trans powerlifter

Michelle Griffith
·2 min read
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Chambers of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Courtesy Minnesota Judicial Branch.

The Minnesota Supreme Court last week announced it would hear the case of a transgender powerlifter who was allegedly denied entry into USA Powerlifting competitions because of her gender identity.

JayCee Cooper, a trans woman, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021 after she was barred from participating in the women’s division of powerlifting competitions. Cooper alleged that the organization was discriminating against her because of her sex and gender identity under the Minnesota Human Rights Act. 

In February 2023, a district court ruled that Cooper had been discriminated against. The Minnesota Court of Appeals in March ruled that discrimination based on gender does violate the state’s Human Rights Act, but it sent the case back to the district court to determine whether USA Powerlifting actually barred Cooper’s participation because of her gender identity.

“The Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to hear this case is a promising step toward justice for JayCee Cooper and all transgender athletes,” said Jess Braverman, legal director for Gender Justice and one of Cooper’s attorneys, in a statement. “Our laws are supposed to protect all Minnesotans from discrimination based on their identity. It is clear that Ms. Cooper faced discrimination specifically because she is a transgender athlete, and we are confident the court will agree.”

USA Powerlifting denies that it barred Cooper from participating because of her gender identity, saying it was because of Cooper’s physiology. USA Powerlifting said Cooper’s physiology gives her “unmitigated strength advantages that would compromise principles of fair athletic competition,” according to court filings.

The Supreme Court justices will decide whether a business or place of public accommodation can “escape liability for discrimination against an individual member of a protected class based on generalizations or stereotypes about that class as a whole,” and whether denying equal services constitutes discrimination, according to its order granting further review.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has yet to schedule oral arguments for the case.

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