A Minnesota women's soccer club has signed its first transgender athlete in its history.
Isaac Ranson, a senior at California State University, Fullerton, is set to become the new goalkeeper for Minnesota Aurora, a pre-professional, community-owned women's team.
The 22-year-old player, who was assigned female at birth, came out as a transgender man while competing as a standout goalkeeper in college.
In an announcement shared on Minnesota Aurora FC's Instagram page on Monday, the organization wrote: 'We are so excited to welcome another goalkeeper to our roster, Isaac! He joins us this summer after playing for Fullerton Women's Soccer.'
Ranson said he still feels safe being himself in women's sports and praised the team for being 'nothing but supportive' amid ongoing lawsuits targeting transgender athletes.
As recently as March, President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Minnesota and its athletics governing body over transgender athletes competing in girls' sports.
The Justice Department alleges that the state Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are violating Title IX, a federal law against sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal money.
'It can become a topic that is discussed a lot, especially nowadays. I mean, a team has got to be ready to lose some fans over it, sadly,' Ranson told The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Issac Ranson, 22, was signed as the first transgender athlete on Minnesota Aurora, a pre-professional, community-owned women's team
Ranson, who was assigned female at birth, came out as a transgender man while competing as a goalkeeper at California State University, Fullerton
On Instagram, Minnesota Aurora FC wrote: 'We are so excited to welcome another goalkeeper to our roster, Isaac!'
'The Aurora have just been very supportive of who I am as a person and a player,' he added.
'Although I don't identify as a woman, I still feel included. I'm proud to be part of women's soccer because of how supportive and how much of a community it is.'
Saara Hassoun, the team's president, told the Star Tribune that the club is 'proud' to have the talented goalkeeper on the team.
'Aurora believes everyone deserves the opportunity to play soccer, and we are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment where Isaac can continue his strong career,' Hassoun said in a statement.
'Our players, coaches and organization are unified in welcoming Isaac to Aurora,' she added.
During his freshman year of college, Ranson came out as queer and went on to become the Titans' four-year starting goalkeeper, where he began exploring his gender identity deeper.
Not long after, he began introducing his new pronouns and name, 'Isaac,' to close friends and family, according to the Star Tribune.
He began to fully identify as a man in 2023 and used his growing social media platform as a popular college player to advocate for others.
Ranson began to identify as a man in 2023 and used his growing social media platform as a college player to advocate for others
As recently as March, Trump filed a lawsuit against Minnesota and its athletics governing body over trans athletes in girls' sports
Last fall, Ranson anchored the Titans to the best goals-against average and second-most shutouts in Division I women’s soccer
'I want to make sports a safe and welcoming space for everyone, no matter their background or identity,' Ranson told BigWest.org.
'I want people to be more aware that, "Hey, there are trans athletes, but we’re not bringing the sport down or being unfair about it,"' he added.
'For those athletes that are struggling, I want them to know they’re not alone or feel like they’re a weirdo for being their authentic self.'
As the 2024 season approached, Ranson came out to his college teammates. Under NCAA rules, athletes assigned female at birth could continue competing in women’s sports if they had not yet begun hormone therapy.
Last fall, Ranson anchored the Titans to the best goals-against average and second-most shutouts in Division I women’s soccer. He was also named one of TopDrawerSoccer’s Top 100 players for 2025.
He told the outlet that playing for the team 'made it easy to be open and be me,' adding that his coaches used inclusive language like 'athletes' instead of 'women' when referring to groups that included him.
Dubbed the 'shutout king' by teammates, Ranson eventually caught the eye of Aurora's coaches after a record-breaking run with the Titans.
The scouts were on the hunt for current and recently graduated college players ahead of the summer season in the United Soccer League’s 96-team W League.
Ranson said his college coaches used inclusive language like 'athletes' instead of 'women' when referring to groups that included him
Under NCAA rules in college, athletes assigned female at birth could continue competing in women’s sports if they had not yet begun hormone therapy
After researching the club, the goalkeeper found that its values aligned closely with his own: Transformation, Accessibility, Inclusivity and Empowerment
In November, staff members reached out to Ranson to help build a roster aiming to extend a streak of four undefeated regular seasons while chasing the team’s first W League title.
After researching the club, the goalkeeper found that its values aligned closely with his own: Transformation, Accessibility, Inclusivity and Empowerment.
The United Soccer League (USL) has a transgender rule that states 'a player may register with the gender term with which the player identifies, provided that the player’s stated gender is sincerely held and part of the player’s core identity.'
The USL said in a statement that its policy aligns with US Soccer Federation eligibility standards, according to Star Tribune.
The Federation said its rules align with that of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which updated its Athlete Safety Policy last year to follow federal executive orders on gender identity and restrict athletes assigned male at birth from women’s sports.
Ranson’s new professional move marks another chapter in his soccer career, which began with him becoming a full-time goalkeeper by age 10.
'I didn’t have a role model or someone to look up to growing up that looked like me or identified as I do. And I just think that’s super important,' Ranson told the outlet.
'I want to be that person that little kids can look up to and think to themselves, "I don’t care if I look differently than everyone else or identify differently than everyone else, I can thrive in anything I put myself into,"' he added.
After the lawsuit was filed, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said the administration 'does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field'
Currently more than two dozen states have laws prohibiting transgender women and girls from female sports
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the lawsuit 'a sad attempt to get attention'
Aurora’s 12-game regular season starts May 21 against Rochester at TCO Stadium in Eagan.
Across the US, including in Minnesota, scrutiny of transgender inclusion in sports has largely focused on trans women, with less attention on how governing body policies affect trans male athletes like Ranson.
Currently more than two dozen states have laws prohibiting transgender women and girls from female sports, although courts have blocked some of those policies.
After the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Minnesota on March 30, then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: 'The Trump Administration does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field.'
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the lawsuit 'a sad attempt to get attention' over an issue that has already been in litigation for months. He vowed to keep fighting.
'It is astonishing that any president would try to target, shame, and harass children just trying to be themselves, let alone a president with so many actual problems to address,' Ellison said in a statement.