After becoming a member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats cheerleaders in March, Justine Lindsay had heard that there was nothing like the team's first home game of the season. That sentiment proved true.
"It was the best moment I could imagine," she recalled in an interview earlier this week of the Panthers' season opener on Sept. 11. "It felt like it was about 115 degrees and there were so many people in the stands. It was a beautiful Sunday."
Lindsay, 30, is the first openly transgender cheerleader in the NFL. Her arrival on the NFL was first announced in a personal Instagram post back in March and was followed in June by a host of media coverage. Now, more than halfway through the NFL season and in support of Transgender Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19), Lindsay is determined not only to be a role model for others but to enjoy every second of the process.
Lindsay said she's learned so much about herself during the last year, with the most important being to take the time to love herself.
"This is just the beginning," she said. "I appreciate everyone who has been supporting me from March to now. I love them and hope I can still inspire young transpersons to let them know they can do the same thing I'm doing, if not more. I just hope I can be an inspiration to someone out there."
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