Justine Lindsay, the cheerleader who made NFL history in 2022, says she was pushed off the Carolina TopCats roster in August 2025 for one reason only. “I was cut because I’m trans,” she told Gaye Magazine during an emotional Instagram Live.
Before the interview, many believed she had walked away from the gig.
“Why the hell would I not wanna come back to an organization that I’ve been a part of for three years?” she continued.
Lindsay’s original announcement post, complete with a field photo and the caption, “Cat’s out the bag – you are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleaders as the first transgender female,” instantly made headlines.
“I made history, it was something I never even thought I was going to do,” she said. “It meant the world to me.”
Now, with her spot gone and no openly trans cheerleaders left in the NFL, Lindsay says the timing is no coincidence. She directly pointed to Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his immediate signing of a nationwide ban preventing trans women from competing in female sports.
According to Lindsay, Trump’s years of targeting the trans community with harsh political messaging created exactly the environment that made her removal possible.
Lindsay still refuses to drag the TopCats themselves. “Not throwing shade at the organization. I love them down. I appreciate everything that they’ve done for me,” she insisted.