USAPL will continue to appeal this decision after the ruling.
The USA Powerlifting federation has been ordered to “cease doing business” in the state of Minnesota. This decision came after losing a case that will allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s divisions moving forward.
On April 15, USAPL shared the information on their website stating that they revised their policy as it pertains to transgender athletes. Despite doing so, the judge still ruled that it would not be able to do business in Minnesota. They believe this to be an “unusual ruling” and will continue to appeal.
“As many of you know, USA Powerlifting is involved in litigation in Minnesota involving the appropriate and fair inclusion of transgender athletes. The judge assigned to this case has ordered us to cease doing business in Minnesota even though we complied with an earlier court order by submitting a revised policy concerning male to female transgender athletes. We believe the judge has misinterpreted Minnesota law in this regard and exceeded his authority in terms of the conduct of our service to our members. We will appeal this highly unusual ruling.”
According to a post on Instagram, USAPL will share more information when it is known. It shared that Central and Midwest Regionals will be impacted, which are scheduled for May 27-28.
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Transgender Athletes Can Compete In Women’s Divisions
USAPL has expressed its interest in fighting this decision until it is resolved. It comes shortly after a court ruled in favor of transgender athletes competing in women’s divisions in powerlifting.
Powerlifter JayCee Cooper filed a discrimination case against the federation after she was banned from competing in women’s events. On Feb. 27, the court ruled in favor of Cooper. USA Powerlifting will revise certain policies involving trans women competing in events. The new rules and regulations were prepared to be released shortly after the ruling.
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After they were released, USAPL believes that the judge in charge of the case misinterpreted the law and this will lead to an appeal of the situation.
Cooper originally filed the case back in January 2021 after being denied entry into certain powerlifting events. The USAPL then banned transgender women from competing in its events.
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