Carolina Panthers cheerleader Justine Lindsay made NFL history

Carolina Panthers cheerleader Justine Lindsay made NFL history.

Justine Lindsay has made NFL history this week.

According to BuzzFeed, Lindsay is the NFL’s first openly transgender cheerleader. The 29-year-old made the cheerleading squad for the Carolina Panthers (the team is called the Topcats).

“Cats Out the Bag you are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleader’s @topcats as the first Transgender female,” read the caption on the post announcing she’d been accepted on the team.

“I would not have gotten to this moment in my life if it wasn’t for the support,” she also wrote. “Also to my beautiful coach @chandalaelanouette you are a special being that I truly cherish thank you taking that leap of faith on me to be apart of your legacy and so many others. This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring. Thank you @topcats a dream come true.”

Lindsay also spoke with BuzzFeed about the historic moment and how nervous she was for the announcement.

“I was so scared. There’s just some things you can’t post,” Lindsay told BuzzFeed. “This is big. I think more people need to see this. It’s not because I want recognition. It’s just to shed light on what’s going on in the world.”