Trans powerlifter JayCee Cooper has finalised a discrimination settlement with USA Powerlifting, bringing an end to a long legal battle that became one of the most closely watched trans sports cases in the United States.
The settlement follows a major ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court in October 2025, which found that USA Powerlifting had violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act by barring Cooper from competing in the women’s division. The court held that the organisation’s exclusion of transgender women amounted to discrimination in public accommodations under state law.
Cooper’s dispute with USA Powerlifting began in 2018, when she was blocked from entering two women’s competitions. She later sued, arguing that the ban was unlawful discrimination. USA Powerlifting maintained that its approach was based on what it described as strength advantages linked to sex assigned at birth, rather than on Cooper being transgender.
The Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision was especially significant because it found that, at the time, USA Powerlifting had no formal written policy in place, despite still excluding transgender women. The court also sent one of Cooper’s claims back to a lower court, saying the organisation would need to show that its exclusion was reasonably necessary to its business mission rather than based on stereotypes.
The settlement itself was announced on 28 April by Gender Justice, the legal organisation that represented Cooper. In a statement reported by CBS News and cited by PinkNews, the group said: “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.”
The exact terms of the settlement have not been made public.
Cooper’s case has become a touchstone in wider US debates over trans women in sport, not least because it focused on how anti-discrimination law applies to private sporting bodies that operate as public-facing membership organisations. While the broader political fight over trans inclusion in sport is far from over, this outcome is still a major legal and symbolic win. That final sentence is an inference based on the court ruling and the broader importance the article attributes to the case.
