As the first openly transgender cheerleader in the NFL, Justine Lindsay made NFL history. Lindsay shared the news that she had made it to the Carolina Panthers TopCats cheerleading squad for the next season.
The NFL does not have a record of any transgender cheerleaders in its history. So we have no way to verify that there were any. However, Lindsay, who is 29 years old, is undoubtedly the first cheerleader who bravely spoke openly about her experiences.
It was recently reported that Lindsay shared the news on Instagram. She said she was “scared.” In spite of her fear, many of her followers have reached out to support her. The fans have also asked her to ignore any message criticizing her accomplishment and claiming to be hateful in nature.
“I was so scared,” Lindsay said, “There are just some things you can’t post … I just felt like when I posted it, whatever reaction I get from everyone, it does not matter. And then my phone started blowing up.”
Justine Lindsay knows that winning a cheerleading position in the league as a Black trans woman would surely need to make waves in the arena if she was to be a part of it.
This was her first opportunity to work with a transgender woman, and she was excited to show people what a Black transgender woman can accomplish.
In addition, she stated that she believes her accomplishment will serve as an example for other transgender athletes to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
Adding to Lindsay’s points, she said that following her campaign to encourage other transgender people to take action.
