Panthers‘ Justine Lindsay Becomes NFL’s First Openly Transgender Cheerleader

Lindsay, 29, is the newest member of the Topcats, Carolina’s cheerleading squad.

Panthers cheerleader Justine Lindsay will become the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader during the 2022 season. 

Lindsay will be a member of the Topcats, Carolina’s cheerleading squad. Lindsay made the announcement on her Instagram account back in March, thanking her fellow dancers and Topcats alumni for their support.

Lindsay said she had reservations about sharing the post publicly, as she had not shared that she was transgender with anybody outside of her family.

“I was so scared,” Lindsay told Paige Skinner of BuzzFeed News. “There’s 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.”

Lindsay noted on her Topcats application that she was transgender. That did not factor into the team’s decision to offer her a spot, per the Topcats.

“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,” Topcats director Chandalae Lanouette said, per Skinner.

Lindsay said that she was happy to share her story publicly to raise awareness and visibility for the transgender community. 

“This is big,” Lindsay said. “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.”

“I’m happy because I was able to break down that door and tell people, ‘Hey, we are not just sexual beings,’” Lindsay said. “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.’”

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