Justine Lindsay, a 29-year-old biological male dancer, will be the first openly transgender NFL cheerleader and is the newest member of the Carolina Panthers’ cheerleading squad, the TopCats.
Lindsay made the announcement in an Instagram post.
“Cats Out the Bag,” the post began, “you are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleader’s @topcats as the first Transgender female.”
“This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring. Thank you @topcats a dream come true,” the post stated.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Lindsay said she was “scared” about making the post.
“It was a secret she’d kept from everyone except her family,” BuzzFeed noted. Lindsay told the outlet “she’s happy to ‘break down that door’ for future trans athletes.”
