Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is asking Attorney General Keith Ellison for an investigation after one of her transgender constituents was barred from participating in a USA Powerlifting competition. In late January, the organization released a statement to explain its policy that prevented JayCee Cooper from partaking in one of its competitions. “Two areas of policy impact such participation: the first has to do with the use of testosterone or other androgens, commonly used to assist in transition from female to male. By virtue of the anabolic nature of these compounds, they are not allowed, nor is a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted for such use for anyone,” USA Powerlifting’s statement reads. “The second area involves the participation of male to female competitors. Through analysis the impact of maturation in the presence [of] naturally occurring androgens as the level necessary for male development, significant advantages are had, including but not limited to increased body and muscle mass, bone density, bone structure, and connective tissue,” the organization said. It is under this second policy that Cooper, a biological male, was prevented from competing as a woman in a USA Powerlifting event in Minnesota. “The IPF [International Powerlifting Federation] Medical Committee, while respecting the rights…
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