Justine Lindsay, the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader, is claiming the biological male was “cut because I’m trans” from the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats squad.
Lindsay, who joined the TopCats in 2022, left the organization in August. In a recent livestream interview with Gaye Magazine, Lindsay rejected suggestions that the cheerleader left voluntarily.
“I was cut because I’m trans,” Lindsay said. “I don’t wanna hear nobody saying, ‘She didn’t wanna come back.’ Why would I not wanna come back to an organization that I’ve been a part of for three years?”
While Lindsay expressed appreciation for the time with the Panthers, Lindsay said the move felt like “a big slap in the face” not only individually, but also to transgender youth who Lindsay claims were inspired by Lindsay.
“I love them down. I appreciate everything that they’ve done for me, but I felt like I was done wrong.”
Lindsay also referenced policy changes enacted shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, including an executive order restricting transgender participation in women’s sports and access to women’s spaces in schools and colleges that receive federal funding.
