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Trans female weightlifter takes USA Powerlifting lawsuit to Minnesota Supreme Court

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Trans female weightlifter takes USA Powerlifting lawsuit to Minnesota Supreme Court

A yearslong case surrounding a transgender female powerlifter reached the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday where opening arguments were heard.

JayCee Cooper, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021 after being rejected from the women’s team three years earlier. In the complaint, Cooper alleged the organization violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against people “having or being perceived as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one’s biological maleness or femaleness.”

A district court ruled last year that the organization discriminated against Cooper, which spurred a mandate that the federation “cease and desist from all unfair discriminatory practices” because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

A yearslong case surrounding a transgender female powerlifter reached the Minnesota Supreme Court. (Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The federation appealed the decision; Cooper then cross-appealed, and on Monday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals decided the athletic league did not discriminate against the individual.

On Tuesday, the court asked Ansis Viksnins, USA Powerlifting’s attorney, why banning Cooper from women’s competition was not “discriminatory.” 

Viksnins responded it was not “based on gender identity.”

The court asked if the policy would be equal had it been based on race or religion, comparing Cooper’s case to a hypothetical in which Catholics were to be better bowlers — but the comparison was shut down.

“There is no legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason why there could be separation based on religion or national origin or race, whereas there is a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for separating and treating transgender or women differently,” Viksnins said.

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JayCee Cooper, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021 after being rejected from the women’s team three years earlier. In the complaint, Cooper alleged the organization violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act. (Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER, ACCUSED OF CONSPIRING WITH SJSU TRANSGENDER ATHLETE, KNEELS DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM

“The motive here was to separate biological males into a category where they are competing against other people who were born biologically male, that if I could point out my client separate competitors three ways by age, weight and sex. They do not care about gender identity. They don’t care about sexual orientation.”

The federation opened an “open” category in 2021 “to serve all gender identities,” according to FOX 9 in Minnesota.

“Our goal at USAPL is to create rules and a framework that uphold the principles of fair play, not to exclude anyone,” said Larry Maile, President of USAPL in a statement to the outlet. “Since science shows those who were born biologically male have a profound physical advantage over female-born athletes, our responsibility is to define legitimate categories to fairly place athletes within them.”

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A state court cited “increased risk of depression and suicide, lack of access to coaching and practice facilities, or other performance suppression common to transgender persons” as competitive disadvantages for transgender competitors, helping Cooper initially win the discrimination case.

According to Open Powerlifting, Cooper last competed at the 2022 AMP Classic Open Nationals in Texas and finished in third place out of three competitors in the division.

Cooper last competed at the 2022 AMP Classic Open Nationals in Texas and finished in third place out of three competitors in the division. (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Cooper twice competed against a lone competitor — Rebecca Richnofsky — in the women’s raw 198+ open category in 2019, winning both times. 

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In the 2019 USPA National Championships, Cooper finished in fourth out of four competitors in that category.

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026 — 4 p.m. Update

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Metro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026  — 4 p.m. Update


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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers Are Making a Mistake With Andrew Vaughn’s Playing Time

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Brewers Are Making a Mistake With Andrew Vaughn’s Playing Time


There are few things that the Milwaukee Brewers haven’t done right so far in 2026.

Milwaukee has navigated difficult injuries all season and yet it is 49-29 and has the second-best record in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (52-29) heading into an important series against the Chicago Cubs. How many teams out there could accomplish this feat when guys like Andrew Vaughn Christian Yelich, Quinn Priester, Jackson Chourio, and Brandon Woodruff all missed significant time at various points in the season? These are legit, star-level pieces and the Brewers navigated the losses admirably.

Right now, all of them are healthy, except Priester. The young starter will miss the entire season. Now, Milwaukee is firing on all cylinders and yet it could be even better. Soon enough, Logan Henderson will be back. Also, the offense would arguably be even better if Vaughn was given more opportunities. Since May 4, Vaughn is only eighth on the team in plate appearances, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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Despite this, Vaughn has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball. In 39 games, he has slashed .355/.444/.542 with a .987 OPS, two homers, 12 doubles, and 23 RBIs. That’s the type of production you need in the lineup every night, regardless.

The Brewers Need To Give Andrew Vaughn More Time

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Jun 7, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Brewers infielder Andrew Vaughn (28) rounds third base to score in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

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Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged that Vaughn has had a weakness with some righties, as transcribed by Hogg.

“Heavy east-west sometimes is more troublesome for him,” Murphy said. “But for him this year you can look at it and go, ‘Yeah, against the two-seamer he’s been [worse]. But what about the times against the two-samer that he took it and got something else? You don’t get credit for being good against the two-seamer when you take it. You only get dinged when you swing at it.”

Still, this is a guy batting .355 since May 4. He’s obviously not perfect, but Milwaukee’s offense is better with him in it. Even if the club has to get creative. Jake Bauers has made his mark this season and needs playing time as well and both play first base, among others. Throughout Vaughn’s career, he has seen time at third base, second base, left field and right field, along with first base. Throughout the season to this point, there’s been chatter about how the Brewers haven’t had enough offense on the left side of the infield.

They recently promoted Cooper Pratt to play shortstop, so third base has been handled by David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz. Maybe a good idea could be trying to shift Vaughn to third base for the time being because they could then get his bat and Bauers’ bat in the lineup consistently. In that scenario, the Brewers could also consistently roll with an outfield of Chourio in left field, Garrett Mitchell in center field, and Sal Frelick in right field.

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At the end of the day, the Brewers need Vaughn’s bat in the lineup every day. If you can bat .355 over a 39-game stretch, you deserve significant playing time.

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Minneapolis, MN

Affordable senior housing revived at 600 Main St. SE

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Affordable senior housing revived at 600 Main St. SE


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The Blueprint

A team led by Lupe Development Partners and Wall Cos. wants to bring more than 100 units of affordable senior housing to a triangular parking area near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the latest version of a yearslong effort to redevelop the site.

On Thursday, the Minneapolis Planning Commission Committee of the Whole reviewed plans for the five-story, 104-unit building at 600 Main St. SE. The project would require a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and other approvals.

Jess Olstad, a city spokesperson, said in an email that the committee took no formal action.

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“The next step for the project team will be to conduct public engagement around their potential comprehensive plan amendment, and to prepare their land use applications for submittal,” Olstad said.

Steve Minn, vice president and chief financial manager of Lupe Development, said Friday that the project received “very positive feedback” from the committee.

“We’re just going to proceed with the rest of our application, which will be in the next week or so,” said Minn, who added that the proposed location is a “perfect site for housing” and that “senior housing is a need.”

A comprehensive plan amendment would require Metropolitan Council review. If the approval process goes well and financing comes together next year, the project could break ground in 2028, Minn said.

A 58-space “principal parking facility” currently occupies the 37,401-square-foot development site, which is framed by Sixth Avenue Southeast, Main Street Southeast, and a railroad property, according to a city staff report.

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The project would primarily offer one-bedroom units, though the mix would also include some two-bedroom dwellings and efficiencies. Thirty-nine stalls of underground parking are also planned.

Located near the Stone Arch Bridge trailhead in the Mississippi River Critical Area Overlay District, the project would be “compatible with the surrounding neighborhood architecture,” according to a narrative submitted on behalf of the developer.

The plan includes site improvements such as structured parking and pedestrian spaces, and a new public trail, which would connect to existing Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board trails in Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.

According to the developer’s narrative, the project “represents a reinvestment in a privately owned, undeveloped parcel that is not used for park purposes and is not planned for acquisition.”

The project would align the property’s “land use, built form, and Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Overlay District designations with the surrounding urban context and applicable regulatory framework,” the narrative states.

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Wall Cos. and Lupe Development Partners, doing business as Bluff Street Development, have long wanted to redevelop 600 Main St. SE. In 2023, the developers pitched a plan for 80 affordable housing units on the site.

The developers’ history with the site goes back as far as 2009, when they proposed separate plans for a 98-unit and a 79-unit apartment project, as previously reported. In 2010, Bluff Street sued the city after the City Council rejected the plans. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2011.

When development efforts first started, the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area rules and regulations had not been defined, and “there was a lot of angst in the community” about what those regulations would be, Minn said.

Those regulations are now “well defined,” clearing the way for development, he said.



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