Justine Lindsay is set to break new ground for LGBTQ2S+ inclusion in sports by becoming the first openly trans cheerleader in NFL history.
The 29-year-old will reportedly join the 30-person roster of the Topcats, the Carolina Panthers’ cheerleading squad, this fall. In a June 3 interview with BuzzFeed News, she admitted she was “scared” to go public with the news, which was originally announced on her Instagram page in March. Before the post went live, she said that no one outside of her family members knew about her gender identity—not even her best friend.
But despite her trepidation in coming out to most of the people in her life at the same time that she came out to the public, Lindsay did it anyway because of the significance of the moment: few Black women are NFL cheerleaders, let alone a Black trans woman.
“I think more people need to see this,” she told the outlet. “It’s not because I want recognition. It’s just to shed light on what’s going on in the world.”
In her original Instagram post, Lindsay thanked everyone who made the milestone possible, including the Topcats’ director, Chandalae Lanouette, and other members of the squad. She called the achievement a “dream come true.”
“This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring,” she wrote.
In comments to BuzzFeed News, Lanouette noted that Lindsay had mentioned that she was trans on her application, so the organization was well aware of her gender identity when she was hired. She asserted that the reason Lindsay was chosen to be part of the team was not with history in mind, but because she was simply the best person for the job.
“My goal is to create a team of individuals that are absolute fire on the field but are incredible human beings in the locker room, good friends, good people and at the end of the day, you have to walk through the door first to get to that spot,” she said.
Although there has never been a known instance of a trans person competing on an NFL cheerleading squad, U.S. football has been taking steps toward inclusivity in recent years. Last year, Las Vegas Raiders player Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player in NFL league history, and several out gay male cheerleaders have landed spots on the squads of teams like the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. At least five were on the field during the Rams’ 2022 Super Bowl victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Lindsay noted that there had been some backlash to her announcement in a June 6 Instagram post following the publication of the BuzzFeed story. But despite the blowback, she vowed to continue “paving the way for those under me who are scared and afraid to take that step because it is not easy to do when you have ignorant people making comments.”
“I will continue to be that pioneer,” she wrote. “I will continue to inspire and help my African American beautiful trans sisters until my last breath.”
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