There's a new soccer league in Portland for trans, nonbinary and queer players and it's thriving

If you don’t find a space for yourself, and you have the chance to make one, why not take it? This is the kind of question that brought Portland’s Lavender League to life. Founded to center the lives of queer women and trans and nonbinary individuals, the Lavender League began in Portland in March 2024. It has since grown to a league of over 200 adults across 12 teams, and they’ve recently begun their second season.

With a mission to “build community, acceptance, and culture through soccer,” the Lavender League “offers safe spaces to move, build, and socialize,” they share. Or as the league also writes on Instagram, “Come play, build community, and have fun on the field!”

The Lavender League was founded by Portlanders Anya Wilson, Lindsey Salzer, Mack Vohs, Reid Maude, Lauren Valentine, Milo Baxa, Rosie Blanton, and Rhi Fanning. Members noticed that playing in other Portland LGBTQ+ leagues weren’t always as progressive as they would have wanted, sometimes playing with high levels of aggression, unsportsmanlike behavior, or even singling out transgender individuals. So what if a new league existed, where those issues could be left behind? “Both on and off the field we want people to feel good playing the sport against each other. We want to have good sportspersonship,” co-founder Milo Baxa told Oregon Public Radio. “We want people to go dancing with each other on the weekends and have a good time.” There are weekly practices and regular social events where everyone can continue to build community, too.

So far, the league’s goals are moving ahead as planned. Over the course of eight Sundays in Portland’s Fernhill Park, you’ll see teams like the Mia Hamm Sandwiches and the Dandy Lions or the teams known as Blood, Sweat, and Queers and Laverne Cox gather together for great soccer and a great time. But you’ll also see people creating safer environments for each other to thrive, down to the employment of queer and trans referees. “I seek to provide support & security for those around me, both on and off the field,” Lavender League logistician Rhi Fanning writes. “What I’ve loved most about being part of the Leadership Team in a queer & trans centric league is watching members improve week-to-week and strengthen connections with their teammates.”

At least one Lavender League founder discussed giving up a sport because they didn’t feel safe, included, or valued, sometimes even if these were sports they had played since childhood. So in their work with the league they try to make sure that doesn’t have to happen again. In Lavender League, players are asked to hold themselves accountable, to be mindful of their behavior, to communicate constructively and respectfully. Everyone’s safety, in all forms, is the top priority, they say. All players must abide by their Accountability Agreement.

The Lavender League’s choice to be as inclusive as possible becomes a radical act of positivity in a country that has become increasingly hostile and dismissive of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender people. The league’s existence is a powerful choice of joy over negativity, of community over division.

If you’re interested in joining Lavender League, you can learn more on their website or support them with a donation–donations are used “to rent fields, buy equipment, and be able to provide sliding scale options for league players,” the League shares. “Everyone can play, regardless of ability to pay.”