Women’s powerlifting leagues must now accept members that are biological males, according to a recent court decision.

The decision came after a five-year campaign by a transgender athlete to force women’s leagues to accept biological males.

The decision was made by a district court judge to allow such lifters into women’s leagues. The judge wrote in his decision that “lack of access to coaching and practice facilities or other performance suppression common to transgender persons” and “increased risk of depression and suicide” in his ruling.

https://twitter.com/Outkick/status/1632177044363804672?s=20

The case came after lifter JayCee Cooper, a biological male was not allowed to participate in the women’s league. This included a self-comparison by Cooper to “the Stonewall riots and the plethora of black trans advocates and activists throughout history.”

Cooper’s case attracted considerable support from a number of Democrats, including a letter from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

The news is the latest salvo in the fierce disagreements over transgender participation in sports. Conservative critics and many athletes argue that athletes retain the biological advantage of their birth traits. For men competing on women’s teams, there is a large physiological advantage.

The court case also comes after considerable criticism of the NCAA for allowing a biological male to compete in a women’s swimming competition. Lia Thomas won a number of key competitions against biological females, including the national title.

While the college league recognized Thomas’s victories, the swimmer came under harsh criticism from fellow swimmers. These teammates alleged that Thomas exposed them to male genitalia. 

The former Penn State swimmer now has Olympic ambitions, which could prove the next major fight over transgender participation in gender-specific sports.

Thomas previously competed for the college’s male team for three years prior to joining the women’s team. 

Thomas said that swimmers “transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions.”

https://youtu.be/02IJ-JIcKNs

The swimmer also said that biological males competing for women’s teams is not a threat to sports.