(3 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
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++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Paul, Minnesota — 3 December 2024
1. Close of JayCee Cooper during a press conference after the hearing
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Erin Maye Quade, Special Projects Advisor for the LGBTQ+:
"This case is about something fundamental to who we are as Minnesotans, that we believe in the right to live free from discrimination and to pursue one’s dreams, whether that’s excelling in athletics, advancing in a career, or simply living openly as your authentic self. Minnesota has long been a leader in advancing justice, and we are proud to be a trans refuge state, providing hope and support amid a national landscape that has grown increasingly hostile to transgender people."
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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Erin Maye Quade, Special Projects Advisor for the LGBTQ+:
"Sports have long been a space where battles for inclusion are waged. Whether it was the fighting for women, Black athletes, disabled athletes, or LGBTQ+ athletes, history has consistently shown that opening doors strengthens sports and our communities."
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jess Braverman, Legal Director for Gender Justice:
"Every Minnesotan deserves the freedom to pursue their dreams without fear of exclusion or discrimination. Ms. Cooper was denied that right solely because she is transgender. We are confident that the Supreme Court will agree that USAPL’s (USA Powerlifting’s) policies violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act."
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5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ansis Viksnins, attorney for USA Powerlifting:
"Well, it’s not discrimination based on gender identity. That’s the problem for Ms. Cooper’s case. That the differentiation here was because of her biological sex, not her gender identity. And we cited study after study that talk about the performance advantages of people who have…are born biologically male. That in this sport there is up to a 65% performance advantage for those who are biologically male as opposed to those who are biologically female. And that is a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the action that USA Powerlifting took."
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6. SOUNDBITE (English) Larry Maile, USA Powerlifting President:
"We have a new mixed division. And that was our adjustment and the solution to make a place for people to compete, just as we would for masters or adaptive athletes or any other group that’s a smaller constituency for us. But we take no position on pronouns and people’s names. We invite people to be who they want to be, as long as we can preserve fairness for all of our categories of competitors."
7. Close of JayCee Cooper during a press conference after the hearing
STORYLINE:
A transgender athlete should be allowed to compete in the women’s division at powerlifting events because she’s protected against discrimination by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, her attorneys urged the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.
USA Powerlifting rejected JayCee Cooper’s application in 2018 to compete in the women’s division of its events on the ground that she enjoys strength advantages over other women.
Cooper sued in 2021, and the trial court sided with her.
But the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court in March, saying there were “genuine issues of fact” about whether USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper because of her transgender identity and whether the organization had a “legitimate business reason” for rejecting her.
Cooper then took the case to the state’s highest court.
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