The NFL’s First Openly Transgender Cheerleader Is Officially Done

Justine Lindsay, the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader, has confirmed she will not return to the Carolina Panthers‘ TopCats squad for the upcoming season.

Lindsay, 32, made history in 2022 when she joined the TopCats, becoming the first transgender woman to cheer in the NFL.

But after three seasons on the sidelines, she is officially stepping away, telling Outsports she’s moving on to focus on pageantry and charity work.

‘For now, I’m focusing on my pageantry work and community involvement, striving to be recognized not just as an NFL cheerleader, but as someone making a positive impact, especially during these uncertain times,’ she said in a statement.

She added: ‘Being in the NFL was a stepping stone to get me where I need to be, and God is blessing me each and every day… My focus is to educate and uplift the younger generation of leaders to focus on their dreams and goals.

‘Don’t let a president who is delusional stop them from reaching their goals whether they are trans, African American, not American, etc.’

Justine Lindsay, the NFL's transgender cheerleader, will not return for the upcoming season
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Justine Lindsay, the NFL’s transgender cheerleader, will not return for the upcoming season

After three seasons on the sidelines, the 32-year-old is officially stepping away
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After three seasons on the sidelines, the 32-year-old is officially stepping away

The Panthers have not commented publicly on Lindsay’s exit from the team.

She says she’s currently in school to become a sportscaster and hopes to return to the football field – this time holding a microphone.

‘I’ll see you all next year on a football field, either conducting interviews or on the sidelines showing off my dance skills,’ she told Outsports.

Lindsay’s trailblazing role with the Panthers earned national attention in 2022. At the time, TopCats director Chandalae Lanouette said Lindsay was hired for her talent and confirmed she had disclosed she was transgender during the application process.

‘This is big,’ Lindsay told Buzzfeed News shortly after being hired. ‘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.’

She was also recently crowned 2025 Ms. Charlotte Black Pride Lady Winner.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings recently added two male cheerleaders to its sideline supporters for the first time a few weeks ago, a decision that has been slammed by some. 

She is currently in school to become a sportscaster and hopes to return to the football field
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She is currently in school to become a sportscaster and hopes to return to the football field

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings became the latest team to include male cheerleaders
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Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings became the latest team to include male cheerleaders

In response, former college football head coach and current United States Senator Tommy Tuberville said he wants the NFL to not lose its masculine image.

Tuberville, a Donald Trump backer in his policies against biological men competing in women’s sports, does not want to see the NFL fold into that inclusive narrative.

‘I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing?’ Tuberville said to OutKick.

‘If you’re going to be woke, and if you’re going to try to take the men out of men’s sports, which is what they’re doing, they’re trying to take gender and try and make it more about gender than about masculinity, then you’re going to have a huge problem.’

‘You can see Minnesota doing it, they’re one of the blue states, we’ve lost them, and they’re more into socialism and it’s about 150 genders. But at the end of the day, I hope to God it doesn’t come South.’