The Minnesota Supreme Court decided this past Wednesday that USA Powerlifting’s (USAPL) choice to exclude a transgender athlete, who is biologically male, from competing in the women’s category, constituted “discrimination.”
USA Powerlifting has since issued a response, expressing disapproval of the court’s ruling.
“Since the legal proceedings against USA Powerlifting began in 2021, our objective has been to present all pertinent facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization conveyed in a statement to OutKick. “We appreciate that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts concur that we possess the right to present a claim of business discrimination before a jury and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to submit our evidence to that end.”
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USAPL also expressed satisfaction with the choice to allow one of its claims to move forward. The decision directed a segment of the case back to a lower court for the purpose of ascertaining whether USA Powerlifting possesses a “legitimate business purpose” for excluding the transgender athlete.
“Since the legal proceedings against USA Powerlifting (USAPL) began in 2021, our objective has been to present all pertinent facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization conveyed. “We appreciate that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts concur that we possess the right to present a claim of business discrimination before a jury and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to submit our evidence to that end.”
The transgender athlete, JayCee Cooper, initiated legal action against USA Powerlifting in 2021, alleging that the organization engaged in discriminatory practices following the rejection of the athlete’s application to participate in the women’s division in 2018, contending that it violated Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.
Following an initial ruling in favor of Cooper by a lower court in 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court, citing “genuine issues of fact” concerning whether USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper due to the athlete’s transgender identity and whether the organization possessed a “legitimate business reason” for doing so.
The state’s Supreme Court subsequently resolved to address the case in July 2024.
The court’s ruling on Wednesday asserted that “USA Powerlifting’s policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women’s division.”
“Given that USA Powerlifting’s facially discriminatory policy offers direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there exists no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually influenced USA Powerlifting’s decision to prohibit Cooper from competing. Consequently, we reverse the portion of the court of appeals’ decision pertaining to this issue,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson articulated in Wednesday’s opinion.
“We concur with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is discriminatory on its face; thus, there is no legitimate dispute that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper due to her transgender status.”
USAPL asserts that its actions were motivated by “legitimate reasons.
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USAPL acted for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons to promote fairness in the sport when determining that Ms. Cooper should not compete in the women’s division due to her male physiology,” USAPL’s statement went on to say.
“Ms. Cooper was biologically male at birth and underwent male puberty. According to unchallenged scientific research, males possess a strength advantage of up to 64% in powerlifting, and testosterone suppression only diminishes this advantage by approximately 10%. This disparity in outcomes renders it fundamentally unjust for a male-to-female transgender powerlifter to compete in the women’s division.”
USAPL also referenced data suggesting that the majority of Americans support safeguarding women’s sports from transgender athletes, in addition to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) revision of its athlete safety policy to exclusively permit females in women’s sports.
“According to a 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll, 79% of Americans are against allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports,” the organization noted. “Since the Minnesota Supreme Court convened oral arguments in our case, the U.S. Olympic Committee has prohibited transgender female athletes from competing in women’s events, and the U.K. Supreme Court has decreed that the term ‘woman’ applies to biological females.”
The court’s decision was unanimous. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, while the remaining two were appointed by former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.
Minnesota Republicans have voiced their disapproval of the court’s decision.
Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth released a statement denouncing the ruling.
“For decades, women and girls have fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX. Regrettably, these hard-earned protections have increasingly been targeted, and today’s decision represents another setback in the effort to protect girls’ sports,” Demuth stated.
“This issue is fundamentally about safety and fairness, and the overwhelming majority of Minnesotans agree that their daughters and granddaughters should not be compelled to compete against boys. House Republicans stand ready to take action in the initial weeks of next year’s legislative session to affirm that girls’ sports are for girls.”
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