NFL’s First Trans Cheerleader Claims She was Fired ‘Because I’m Trans’

Justine Lindsay, The National Football League’s (NFL) first openly transgender cheerleader, has come out to claim she was fired.

According to The Pink News, the dancer made history when she joined the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats back in 2022, becoming the first ever trans cheerleader in the NFL. But she reportedly was cut from the team back in August of this year.

Lindsay claimed her being fired was motivated by Donald Trump’s return to presidency as well as the transphobia as a consequence of his return to office. In an Instagram Live with Gaye Magazine, she made this explicitly clear: “I was cut because I’m trans.”

“I don’t wanna hear nobody saying: ‘She didn’t wanna come back.’ Why the hell would I not wanna come back to an organization that I’ve been a part of for three years? That makes no sense. I was cut,” she adds. “I was devastated. It stung. I was hurt.”

Lindsay remarked that her firing, as well as the hiring of a new coach, happened alongside the influx of anti-trans legislation after Trump became president.

“It was like a big slap in the face to not only me but for the youth,” she claims. “And this was right after Trump became president.”

She did make sure to clarify that she never intended on speaking ill of the NFL, expressing “I love them down. I appreciate everything that they’ve done for me, but I feel like I was done wrong.”

She also claims that she had a hard time accepting that her absence would be letting down everyone, especially kids who were excited to see her perform in the next season. She claims the team “wasn’t even looking at the bigger picture as far as who I was changing lives for.”

While no longer being able to dance with the NFL, Lindsay has began campaigning for the trans pageant, Miss International Queen 2026, as well as working on a documentary.

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