The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that USA Powerlifting’s (USAPL) decision to reject a biological male trans athlete from competition in the women’s category was “discrimination.”

USA Powerlifting has now responded, criticizing the court’s decision. 

“Our goal since litigation commenced against USA Powerlifting  in 2021 was to present all the facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization said in a statement to OutKick. “We are pleased that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts agree we have a right to present a claim of business discrimination to a jury and look forward to offering our evidence toward that end.”

USAPL also praised the decision to let one of its claims proceed. The ruling sent part of the case back to a lower court to determine whether USA Powerlifting has a “legitimate business purpose” for excluding the trans athlete. 

“Our goal since litigation commenced against USA Powerlifting (USAPL) in 2021 was to present all the facts and evidence of our actions to a jury,” the organization said. “We are pleased that both of Minnesota’s state appellate courts agree we have a right to present a claim of business discrimination to a jury and look forward to offering our evidence toward that end.”

The trans athlete, JayCee Cooper, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021, alleging the organization engaged in discriminatory practices after rejecting the athlete’s application to compete in the women’s division in 2018, arguing it violated Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.

After a lower court initially sided with Cooper in 2023, the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court, saying there were “genuine issues of fact” about whether USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper because of the athlete’s transgender identity and whether the organization had a “legitimate business reason” for doing so. 

The state’s Supreme Court then decided to take up the case in July 2024. 

The court’s ruling Wednesday said “USA Powerlifting’s policy at the time of the decision was to categorically exclude transgender women from competing in the women’s division.”

“Because USA Powerlifting’s facially discriminatory policy provides direct evidence of discriminatory motive, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Cooper’s transgender status actually motivated USA Powerlifting’s decision to prohibit Cooper from competing. We therefore reverse the part of the court of appeals’ decision on this issue,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote in Wednesday’s opinion.

“We agree with Cooper that USA Powerlifting’s policy is discriminatory on its face; there is therefore no genuine dispute that USA Powerlifting discriminated against Cooper because of her transgender status.”

USAPL claims it acted for “legitimate reasons.

MINNESOTA TEEN SOFTBALL PLAYER OPENS UP ON TRANS PITCHER PLAYOFF GAME AS TRUMP ADMIN VOWS TITLE IX ENFORCEMENT

USAPL acted for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons to promote fairness in the sport when determining that Ms. Cooper should not compete in the women’s division due to her male physiology,” USAPL’s statement continued. 

“Ms. Cooper was born biologically male and went through puberty as a male. According to unrebutted scientific research, males have up to a 64% strength advantage in powerlifting and suppressing testosterone only reduces the advantage by about 10%. This difference in outcomes makes it fundamentally unfair for a male-to-female transgender powerlifter to compete in the women’s division.”

USAPL also pointed to data suggesting most Americans support protecting women’s sports from trans athletes and the fact that the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its athlete safety policy to only allow females in women’s sports. 

“A 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll found 79% of Americans oppose allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports,” the organization noted. “Since the Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral arguments in our case, the U.S. Olympic Committee has barred transgender female athletes from competing in women’s events, and the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that the term ‘woman’ applied to biological females.”

The court’s decision was unanimous. Five of the seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, and the other two were appointed by former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.

Minnesota Republicans have condemned the court’s decision. 

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally on October 22, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth issued a statement decrying the ruling.

“For decades, women and girls fought tirelessly for the rights guaranteed under Title IX. Sadly, those hard-won protections have increasingly come under attack, and today’s decision marks another setback in the fight to protect girls’ sports,” Demuth said. 

“This issue is ultimately about safety and fairness, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that their daughters and granddaughters should not be forced to compete against boys. House Republicans are ready to act in the first weeks of next year’s legislative session to make clear that girls’ sports are for girls.”

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What happened to the Chargers who started the season with three consecutive wins over AFC West foes?

Injuries along the offensive line and in the backfield account for some of the troubles — three losses in four games — but now the defense is breaking down too, especially against the run.

Enter the Vikings, who have alternated wins and losses all season and are coming off a six-point loss to Philadelphia.

The last time these teams met was two years ago in Minnesota, where the Chargers held on to win 28-24.

How the Vikings can win: Protect the football; Carson Wentz is coming off a couple of head-scratcher interceptions against Philadelphia, terrible throws. Even though they don’t have a top-tier running back, try to establish something of a ground game against a defense that has done a poor job of stopping the run the past two weeks.

How the Chargers can win: The offensive line is getting healthier with Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III returning to the practice field and questionable for the game, so give Justin Herbert better protection and more time. Get Kimani Vidal the ball in space. Not much of a running game for the Vikings, but a premier receiver in Justin Jefferson and solid threats in Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.

Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old chess prodigy from London, made headlines over the summer after she became the youngest female chess player to defeat a grandmaster. This week, Sivanandan reached another important milestone in her young career.

The young talent, known as the “girl wonder,” defeated former women’s world champion and grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk in the first round of the European Chess Club Cup, hosted in Greece on Sunday.

Experts called the stunning victory a “near-perfect game,” The Times reported.

Grandmaster David Howell took to social media to commend Sivanandan for her “incredible win.”

“It’s not every day a 10-year-old defeats a [grandmaster] (and former world champion) in such style,” his post on X read.

Sivanandan seemed quite pleased with her win, but told The Times she’s looking for more victories.

Bodhana Sivanandan, a 10-year-old chess prodigy, competes in the British Chess Championships at St. George’s Hall on Aug. 7, 2025, in Liverpool, England.  (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

CHESS PRODIGY, 10, MAKES HISTORY AFTER DEFEATING 60-YEAR-OLD GRANDMASTER

“I’m happy to win, but hopefully I do even better in the future games … This will inspire me to keep doing better and trying harder to win more games,” she said.

Sivanandan made history this summer when she defeated Grandmaster Peter Wells, 60, in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships in August. According to the International Chess Federation, Sivanandan set the record previously held by American Carissa Yip, who set the record in 2019 at 10 years, 11 months and 20 days old.

Bodhana Sivanandan, center, a 10-year-old chess prodigy, competes in the British Chess Championships at St. George’s Hall on Aug. 7, 2025, in Liverpool, England.  (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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Sivanandan was 10 years, five months, and three days old when she defeated Wells.

She has made a name for herself since first picking up the game during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was just 5 years old.

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