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Judge Forces USA Powerlifting to Cancel Minnesota Events over Policy Barring Males from Female Division
USAPL president Larry Maile told NR that the decision will cost his organization roughly $100,000.
A Minnesota judge issued a ruling last week that blocked USA Powerlifting from hosting tournaments in the state over its decision to prohibit males from competing in the female division.
The order is part of an ongoing two-year legal battle and comes after the court mandated in February that USAPL change its “Transgender Participation Policy” to allow male inclusion in the female category within two weeks or face repercussions.
The court demanded USAPL “cease and desist” from this “unfair discriminatory practice.”
When the organization refused, the court ordered it to withdraw from Minnesota, canceling upcoming Central and Midwest Regionals, which were scheduled for May 27 and May 28. The ruling applies to all business in the state, also forbidding the USAPL from selling memberships to Minnesota residents.
The plaintiff in the case is JayCee Cooper, a male athlete who sued USAPL after being banned from female events at the Minnesota Women’s State Championship in February 2019. Cooper alleged that the organization had violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act’s anti-discrimination statutes. After barring Cooper, USAPL created a formal policy to categorically prohibit males from entering the female category.
USAPL’s policy drew the ire of Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who urged Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison to investigate the organization for violating state anti-discrimination laws in a letter sent on behalf of Cooper. Omar called the notion that trans women have a “direct competitive advantage” over biological females a “myth” and accused USAPL of unlawful discrimination.
Of all the organizations overseeing professional, and especially strength, sports, USAPL has been unique in taking a stand to protect the fairness and integrity of the women’s division. The complaint notes that, “USAPL’s ban on transgender women is an outlier among international, national, and local sports organizations. The Olympic Games, the most widely recognized elite international sports competition in the world, has adopted policies to permit transgender athletes to compete.”
USA Powerlifting President Dr. Larry Maile told National Review that the judge’s cease-and-desist order will greatly disrupt the organization’s operations and finances.
“In any given year, we probably have a dozen meets in Minnesota,” he said. “Right now, there are four on the calendar and among those are the Central and Midwest Regionals, which is a step down from nationals basically. It’s a big deal, and it’s six weeks out.”
The organization will likely be forced to relocate those events and is currently looking at its options, Maile said.
He also said the judge has been extremely accommodative of Cooper and punitive towards the USAPL. “The judge has really gone above and beyond the things that they’ve asked for, capitulated basically to every motion they’ve put in, threatened us with contempt, so an equally zealous advocate for JayCee Cooper is the judge himself,” he added.
Maile said the organization will incur a large cost because of the ruling.
“Let’s say we lose members, and nobody in Minnesota can join, the direct cost of that would be $60,000. The cost of moving this meet and breaking contracts and paying penalties for regionals probably will be another $30,000. So, it amounts to financial punishment of approaching $100,000,” he said.
And since this battle started four years ago when Cooper filed suit, the organization has accumulated legal fees in the six figures, Maile noted. Leaders of USAPL have received threats against their families and accusations of bigotry and racism, he said.
“We are a live and let live organization, but when it comes down to the platform it’s not the same. The data speaks for itself,” he said. USAPL has consulted with a group called the Federation of Gay Games, which serves LGBT athletes. The Gay Games has a third division called MX, which includes competitors of all gender identities. USAPL instituted that model, Maile said, but “it was deemed not acceptable” by the court.
“Much like the biological differences between male and female, trans athletes also possess biological differences in terms of strength,” the USAPL website states. “USA Powerlifting’s traditional male and female s are based on sex. The MX category provides a safe, inclusive option for athletes of all genders and gender identities to compete within USA Powerlifting.”