Congrats to Justine Lindsay who announced last week that she earned her spot as cheerleader for the Carolina Panthers cheerleading squad, TopCats. While Justine may not be the first trans cheerleader in NFL history, this makes her the first openly transgender cheerleader in NFL history.
Justine said to Buzzfeed on making the announcement on Instagram, "I was so scared. There's just some things you can't post." Lindsay went on to say "I think more people need to see this. It's not because I want recognition. It's just to shed light on what's going on in the world."
TopCat's director Chandalae Lanouette said that while Lindsay had wrote on her application that she was trans, it was her talent that got her the spot on the squad. "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, and at the end of the day, you have to walk through the door first to get to that spot."
Lindsay went on to say, "I'm happy because I was able to break down that door and tell people, 'Hey, we are not just sexual beings' we are actual human beings who want to better ourselves. I felt like, why not tell the world: Hey listen, this is a great accomplishment."