The NFL’s first black male-to-female transgender cheerleader has been selected by the North Carolina Panthers.
Justina Simone Lindsay broke the news earlier this year via her Instagram account, and now Buzzfeed confirmed it as authentic this month.
“You are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Chereleader’s” wrote Lindsay on Instagram, noting that she is “the first Transgender female” to get the gig.
“This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring,” wrote Lindsay, who was born a biological male.
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Buzzfeed confirmed that Lindsay is “the first openly trans NFL cheerleader” and revealed that the performer “came out” to her new team in the Instagram post published this year.
She told Buzzfeed she was “scared” to reveal she was born a man, but ultimately did so anyway.
“I just felt like when I posted it, whatever reaction I get from everyone, it does not matter,” Lindsay told Buzzfeed. “And then my phone started blowing up.”
At press time, the post has 877 likes on Instagram. Another post from April 1 has 326 likes.
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Though she had not come out to the team, “the Panthers cheerleading team was aware that Lindsay was transgender” before offering the job, reported Big League Politics, “this was made known by the cheerleading application.”
Cheerleading director Chandalae Lonouette told Buzzfeed that her goal is to “create a team of individuals that are absolute fire on the field but are incredible human beings” and stress to football fans that cheerleaders are more than sex objects.
“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.’” She added, “I felt like, why not tell the world: ‘Hey, listen, this is a great accomplishment.’”
