USA Powerlifting Reaches Settlement With Trans Athlete JayCee Cooper
After being denied the chance to compete in the women’s division in 2018, powerlifter JayCee Cooper reached a settlement with the organization that barred her.
Featured Image: courtesy of Gender Justice
On Tuesday, April 28, USA Powerlifting reached a settlement with transgender athlete JayCee Cooper. The agreement brings a lengthy legal battle to an end, following a lawsuit brought by Cooper against the organization after the Minnesotan was barred from competing in a 2018 women’s powerlifting competition.
Terms of the agreement forbid both parties from disclosing specifics, but stakeholders on both sides shared thoughts with the press following the decision.
“This settlement – which includes an acknowledgement by USA Powerlifting that their policies excluding trans women athletes for discrimination broke the law – affirms Minnesota’s commitment to protecting every person’s right to compete, belong and thrive without discrimination,” Jess Braverman, legal director for legal advocacy organization Gender Justice, commented in a statement. “We celebrate this victory, but we also remain vigilant and ready to take action to ensure that all Minnesotans, including transgender Minnesotans, can participate in sports, schools, employment and health care without facing discrimination because of who they are.”
Related: Landmark Minnesota Supreme Court Decision Affirms Trans Inclusion In Sports
Former USA Powerlifting President Larry Maile referenced an October Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that favored Cooper, saying, “We continue to believe strongly in the merits of our case, which are supported by global competition standards and bipartisan public sentiment. But left with few legal options, settlement is in the best interests of the organization”
Related: Trans Athlete Sues US Powerlifting After Being Banned From Competing
As GO has previously reported, legal actions first got underway in 2019, when Jess Braverman of Gender Justice, along with Co-Counsel David Schlesinger and Matthew A. Frank of Nichols Kaster, PLLP, filed a charge of discrimination with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on behalf of JayCee Cooper, a member of USA Powerlifting (USAPL). Cooper had applied to participate in a bench press competition with USAPL. The organization denied Cooper’s request to compete, and then created an exclusionary policy to prohibit transgender women from competing altogether.
Image: JayCee Coooper courtesy of Gender Justice
After mediation and negotiations with USAPL failed, a complaint was filed on January 12, 2021. On October 22, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of the athlete in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting, affirming that transgender athletes have the right to compete in sports without discrimination under the Minnesota Human Rights Act. The Court found USA Powerlifting liable for discrimination in public accommodations; therefore, it determined, transgender women cannot be barred from women’s sports teams in the state.
