Justine Lindsay, the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader, says her departure from the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats squad was tied to her identity.
Lindsay, who joined the TopCats in 2022 and left the team in August, said in a recent livestream with Gaye Magazine that she believes she was let go because she is transgender.
“I was cut because I’m trans. I don’t wanna hear nobody saying, ‘She didn’t wanna come back.’ Why the hell would I not wanna come back to an organization that I’ve been a part of for three years?” she said.
Although Lindsay emphasized that she still cares deeply for the organization, she feels the decision missed a larger point.
“I love them down. I appreciate everything that they’ve done for me, but I feel like I was done wrong,” she said, adding that the move felt bigger than just her own career.
“It was like a big slap in the face to not only me but for the youth,” Lindsay continued. “And this was right after Trump became president.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order during the first month of his second term that bars schools and colleges receiving federal funds and covered by Title IX from allowing men on women’s sports teams or into women’s locker rooms and restrooms. Institutions and athletic associations that do not comply risk federal investigations and the loss of federal funding.
Several organizations, including the NCAA, adjusted their policies to align with the president’s order.
