Justine Lindsay

Last updated
Justine Simone Lindsay
Born (1992-09-19) September 19, 1992 (age 32)
North Carolina, U.S.
Education The Art Institute of Charlotte
Johnson C. Smith University
North Carolina State University
Occupation(s)dancer, cheerleader, podcaster
Known forNFL Cheerleader

Justine Simone Lindsay (born September 19, 1992) is an American dancer, professional cheerleader, and podcaster. She has been a member of the Carolina TopCats cheerleading team associated with the Carolina Panthers since 2022. [1] Lindsay is the first openly transgender cheerleader in the National Football League.

Contents

Education

Lindsay attended Johnson C. Smith University, where she was a member of the Golden Bullettes dance team, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications from North Carolina State University. [2] [3] She also earned an associate degree from The Art Institute of Charlotte. [3] In 2012, while an undergraduate student, Lindsay performed in a halftime show with the St. Augustine's University marching band. [3] [4]

Career

Lindsay hosts a podcast on Spotify called Keeping It Sweet with Justine. [2] [5]

NFL Cheerleading

In March 2022, Lindsay became the first openly transgender person to make a National Football League Cheerleading team when she joined the Carolina TopCats. [6] [7] While there is no official record of the history of the National Football League's cheerleading rosters, and therefore it is possible that other transgender women could have been on teams before, Lindsay is the first transgender woman on a team to be open about her identity. [8] After making the team, Lindsay revealed she was transgender via a post on her Instagram. [1] [9] [10] In June 2022, the news that Lindsay was the first transgender cheerleader in the National Football League became public after an article was posted about her on BuzzFeed. [7] [10] BuzzFeed had found her post about making the Carolina TopCats, and coming out as a transgender woman, on Instagram. [11] She also was selected with a bald head, and stated that she hoped to inspire other young people who might feel insecure about their bald look and break down barriers about gender and appearance, stating:

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." I felt like, Why not tell the world:"Hey, listen, this is a great accomplishment." [7]

After facing some backlash due to Lindsay's hiring, the Panthers made the following official statement to the National Public Radio: "Members of the TopCats are hired based on their qualifications and abilities. Our organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate because of age, race, religion, color, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or national origin. We wish all the TopCats, including Justine Lindsay, an incredible season." [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Panthers</span> National Football League franchise in Charlotte, North Carolina

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte; which also serves as the team's home field. The Panthers are supported throughout the Carolinas; although the team has played its home games in Charlotte since 1996, it played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, during its first season in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheerleading</span> Athletic activity based on cheering for a team

Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to entertain the audience, or for competition. Cheerleading routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting. Cheerleading originated in the United States, where it has become a tradition. It is less prevalent in the rest of the world, except via its association with American sports or organized cheerleading contests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Billings</span> American actress (born 1962)

Alexandra Scott Billings is an American actress, singer, and teacher. Billings, a trans woman, played one of TV's first openly transgender characters in 2005 made-for-TV movie Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. She is also known for portraying the recurring character Davina in the Amazon series Transparent and has played transgender characters in ER, Eli Stone, How to Get Away with Murder, Grey's Anatomy and The Conners.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is an American reality television series that aired on CMT from September 29, 2006, to November 27, 2021. The series follows the auditioning process and the forming of the Dallas Cowboys' annual Cheerleading squad. The series features director Kelli McGonagill Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Jills</span> Defunct NFL cheerleader squad

The Buffalo Jills were the cheerleading squad for the Buffalo Bills professional American football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFL Cheerleading</span> Professional cheerleading organization for the NFL

National Football League Cheerleading or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a group of professional cheerleading organizations in the United States. 24 of the 32 NFL teams include a cheerleading squad in their franchise. In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. They were part of Baltimore's Marching Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheer Athletics</span> American all-star cheerleading program

Cheer Athletics is one of the largest All-Star cheerleading programs in the United States, with thousands of athletes competing on 80+ teams from Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Frisco, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Pensacola, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Plano, Texas; Rochester, New York; Rockwall, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Telford, England. Cheer Athletics has won 24 World Championships at The Cheerleading Worlds sponsored by the USASF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mara Keisling</span> American transgender activist

Mara Keisling is an American transgender rights activist and founding executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. She is a trans woman who began transitioning in her early 40s. In 2003, Keisling founded the National Center for Transgender Equality to advocate for the rights of transgender people in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Topcats</span> Cheerleading squad of the Carolina Panthers

Carolina TopCats Cheerleaders are the official cheerleading squad of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The TopCats perform during home games at Bank of America Stadium, the home stadium of the Panthers. In 2022, the TopCats became the first cheerleading team of the National Football League to hire an openly transgender cheerleader.

<i>Bring It On: The Musical</i> Musical

Bring It On: The Musical is a musical with music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda, and book by Jeff Whitty. The musical, loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name written by Jessica Bendinger, focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading and over-the-top team rivalries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrabel</span> American singer, songwriter, musician

Stephen Samuel Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel, is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles.

Julia Evelyn Kaye is an American artist, illustrator, and voice actress. Kaye currently works as a storyboard artist and revisionist at Disney Television Animation, and is the creator of the webcomic Up and Out. She has also done work for Maxim, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, GoComics, College Humor, along with other graphic design work. She provided the voice of Snapdragon in the animated series High Guardian Spice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyna Bloom</span> American actress, model, dancer, and activist

Leyna Bloom is an American actress, model, dancer, and activist. She has attracted press as a trailblazer for transgender performers in the entertainment and fashion industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of LGBT history, 21st century</span>

The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history in the 21st century.

Valentina Sampaio is a Brazilian model and actress. She became Victoria's Secret's first openly transgender model in August 2019, and became the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's first openly transgender model in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikita Dragun</span> American internet personality (born 1996)

Nikita Nguyen, known professionally as Nikita Dragun, is an American internet personality, YouTuber, make-up artist, and model.

The following is a timeline of transgender history. Transgender history dates back to the first recorded instances of transgender individuals in ancient civilizations. However, the word transgenderism did not exist until 1965 when coined by psychiatrist John F. Oliven of Columbia University in his 1965 reference work Sexual Hygiene and Pathology; the timeline includes events and personalities that may be viewed as transgender in the broadest sense, including third gender and other gender-variant behavior, including ancient or modern precursors from the historical record.

References

  1. 1 2 Cersosimo, Brooke (19 November 2022). "First Openly Transgender NFL cheerleader Justine Lindsay a 'Face of the Possible'". NFL.
  2. 1 2 Thompson, Eliza (7 June 2022). "Who is Justine Lindsay? 5 Things to Know About the NFL's 1st Openly Transgender Cheerleader". Us Weekly.
  3. 1 2 3 "Justine Lindsay - Professional Profile, Photos on Backstage". Backstage. Retrieved 24 Aug 2022.
  4. ↑ Shukla, Rizu (24 September 2023). "Who is Justine Lindsay…as Images Go Viral on Instagram". The Sports-Grail.
  5. ↑ "Keeping it Sweet w/ JustinE Pod • A podcast on Anchor".
  6. ↑ Factora, James (2022-06-06). "Carolina Panthers' Justine Lindsay Is the First Openly Trans NFL Cheerleader". them. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  7. 1 2 3 Skinner, Paige (5 June 2022). "Justine Lindsay Is The NFL's First Openly Trans Cheerleader". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  8. ↑ Arion, Aley (8 June 2022). "Justine Lindsay is Ready to 'Break Down That Door' as the NFL's First Openly Trans Cheerleader". Essence.
  9. ↑ Badham, Rachel (2022-06-06). "NFL's first openly trans cheerleader wants to 'break down the door' for other trans athletes". PinkNews. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  10. 1 2 Davis, Wynne (2022-06-07). "Justine Lindsay is the first openly trans cheerleader in the NFL". NPR. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  11. ↑ "Justine Lindsay makes history as NFL's first openly transgender cheerleader". au.sports.yahoo.com. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  12. ↑ "Justine Lindsay is the first openly trans cheerleader in the NFL". 7 June 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.