Minnesota Aurora FC has signed its first transgender player, adding former Cal State Fullerton standout goalkeeper Isaac Ranson to the community-owned USL W League, a pre-professional women’s soccer division.
Ranson played for the Cal State Fullerton Titans women’s soccer team, where he twice earned Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honors. He finished with school records for saves (347), shutouts (31), and minutes played (6,934), according to Cal State Fullerton’s website.
Aurora staffers reached out to Ranson in November as the team looked to extend its streak of four undefeated regular seasons while pursuing its first W League title. The Aurora last reached the league championship in 2022, losing 2-1 to South Georgia Tormenta FC.
The team opens its season with preseason matches on May 9 and May 16 before its regular-season opener against Rochester FC on May 21.
Ranson told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he researched the club before signing and found that its stated values of “creating pathways for women, girls, and gender expansive people to reach their potential, on and off the field” aligned with his own.
“For me, it’s very important to find an inclusive team, community, organization,” the Venture, California native said.
Aurora Club President Saara Hassoun issued a statement supporting Ranson.
“Aurora believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to play soccer, and we are glad that we are able to provide a safe environment for Isaac to continue his stellar career,” she said. “Our players, coaches, and organization are unified in welcoming Isaac to Aurora.”
The United Soccer League — which oversees several men’s and women’s semi-professional and professional leagues — specifies in its W League and men’s League Two rulebook that players may register “only with the gender team with which the player was assigned at birth,” regardless of gender identity.
The USL claims its policy aligns with the eligibility standards of the U.S. Soccer Federation, which aligns its rules with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Last year, the committee updated its “athlete safety policy” to bar athletes assigned male at birth from competing in female-designated sports, in compliance with orders from President Trump recognizing only birth sex as valid and threatening to yank federal funds from entities allowing transgender women to compete as women.
The USL says its policy aligns with eligibility standards set by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which follows rules established by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Last year, the committee updated its “athlete safety policy” to bar athletes assigned male at birth from competing in female-designated sports.
Ranson acknowledged that the team was taking a risk by signing him, noting that transgender athletes often face backlash from people who oppose their participation in women’s sports. While transgender men have historically received less scrutiny than transgender women, some critics object to the participation of any transgender athlete.
“It can become a topic that is discussed a lot, especially nowadays,” Ranson told the Star Tribune. “I mean, [a team] has got to be ready to lose some fans over it, sadly, but … [the Aurora] have just been very supportive of who I am as a person and a player.”
Ranson first came out as queer during his freshman year of college, when he redshirted and gained an additional year of eligibility. He later socially transitioned, adopting the name Isaac and male pronouns. By the 2024 season, he was fully out as transgender and remained eligible to compete under NCAA rules allowing trans and nonbinary athletes assigned female at birth to play on women’s teams if they had not begun hormone therapy.
Ranson said the Titans supported his transition, with coaches making an effort to refer to players as “athletes” rather than simply “women.” When he recorded his 31st career shutout and broke the school’s record, the team posted video of his teammates swarming him in celebration, referring to him in the caption as the “shutout king.”
“I definitely feel safe to be myself in women’s sports,” Ranson told the Star Tribune. “Although I don’t identify as a woman, I still feel included.”
Charlie Brande, a college volleyball legend-turned-commentator is apologizing after suggesting during a broadcast that an openly gay opposing player should be punched in the face.
The former University of California-Irvine player and coach made the remark during a broadcast of an April 9 men's match between the UC-Irvine Anteaters and the Cal State Northridge Matadors.
As reported by Outsports, Brande grew tired of what he called on-court "antics" by Cal State Northridge player Jordan Lucas during the match, which UC-Irvine won 3-1. Both teams are ranked in the NCAA Division I men's volleyball top 25.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed five anti-LGBTQ bills passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature.
The bills would have barred transgender athletes assigned male at birth from competing on female-designated sports teams in both K-12 schools and colleges; required school boards to adopt policies forcing teachers to out transgender students to their parents and obtain permission before allowing changes to names or pronouns; prohibited minors from accessing gender-affirming care; and allowed people who experience "regret" after such care to sue providers until age 33.
"Team DC is the network of LGBTQ+ sports in the D.C. metro area," says Miguel Ayala, president of the nonprofit, which has served as the umbrella organization for LGBTQ sports since 1990.
"We represent over 49 different teams and leagues -- everything from kickball, football, and volleyball, which are some of our larger groups, to things like birding, rodeo, and billiards, and even recreational or group activities that you might not think of as sports," he says.
The organization serves as a resource for LGBTQ sporting and recreational groups, helping them navigate the logistics of running a league -- everything from establishing bylaws and a governing board to setting up a website and social media accounts to promote schedules and off-field events like social mixers or fundraisers.
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