Justin Lindsay, the NFL’s first transgender cheerleader, recently revealed that she was fired this year, a decision she claims was motivated by transphobia and the election of Donald Trump as president.
“I was fired because I’m transgender,” Lindsey said in an interview. instagram live gay magazine. “I don’t want to hear anyone say, ‘She didn’t want to come back.’ Why on earth wouldn’t she want to come back to the organization she’s been a part of for three years? That doesn’t make sense to me. So I was cut. I was devastated. I stung. I hurt.”
Lindsey, who made history as the NFL’s first transgender cheerleader when she tried out for and was selected to join the Carolina Panthers’ Top Cats team in 2022, told the magazine that her teammates “know the truth” about the decision to remove her from the team.
Earlier this year, in August, just before the start of the NFL regular season, Lindsay announced he would not return for a fourth season, but did not mention that he was forced to leave. Instead, in a statement to an LGBTQ sports news website, out sportsshe said she wants to be a role model for other transgender people and takes the time to engage in “flamboyant activities and community involvement.”
“Being in the NFL was a stepping stone to get me where I need to be. God blesses me every day and gives me the breath to work and change my life,” she said in a statement. “My focus is to educate and uplift a young generation of leaders so they can focus on their dreams and goals. Whether they are transgender, African-American, or non-American, we cannot let a delusional president prevent them from achieving their goals.”
That same month, she provided further background in an interview. gay timesIn it, she suggested that the decision to remove her from the team was not based on merit.
“Everyone around me was like, ‘You were the best,'” she told the magazine about auditioning for this season’s team. “But I didn’t make it to the final round. I didn’t always feel like I belonged. … So, yeah, it hurt. Everyone knew I wanted to come back. I didn’t always feel like I was getting the support that I expected.”
In a conversation with her, gay magazineLindsey said she believes two factors led to her departure from the Top Cats team: Trump’s second presidential campaign and the hiring of a new cheerleading coach who previously worked for another organization (with whom she disagreed).
“I’m not throwing shade at the organization. I love them and I appreciate what they’ve done for me, but I just felt wrong was done,” she said.
Lindsey noted that several other cheerleaders who were previously on the team were also fired, but she felt that the people deciding her fate were not basing their decision on her audition or skills, but were also not looking at the bigger picture of who she inspired by being a part of the team.
“Many parents reached out to me, [during] “My first year on the team,” he said, referring to the feedback he’s gotten from fans. “They’ve been saying things like, ‘Oh, I’m so proud of you,’ and ‘I have a transgender son,’ and ‘I have a transgender daughter.'[s] up to you. Thank you for everything you have done. ”
“It was a big slap in the face, not just for me, but for the young people,” she said of her firing. “And this was right after President Trump [became] president. “
As for her new coach, Lindsey said she met her when she auditioned for another team’s cheerleading squad.
‘I knew exactly what she was doing Zuzuzu That was the case when she came to our organization. … I was like, “Oh, here we go.” I [going to] I have to deal with the same mess that I dealt with two years ago. ”
Lindsay believes the Top Cats organization decided to fire her before a new coach was hired. She also contrasted the Panthers’ lack of support to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings organization publicly celebrated the addition of two new male cheerleaders.
Although Lindsey has stepped away from cheerleading, she said her time in the spotlight won’t be over. She is currently producing a documentary and will be competing in the 2026 Miss International Queen pageant, the world’s largest pageant for transgender women.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
