Meet Maven Maurer, the former pro football player who came out as trans

Former Canadian Football League player Maven Maurer is getting to be honored for her football accomplishments as the person she truly is.

Maurer, who is transgender, was celebrated by B.C. Lions fans earlier this year as a part of the 2000 Grey Cup championship team, which was inducted to the team's Wall of Fame. She was able to attend the ceremony in person, waving to fans as a woman for the first time.

As a trans woman, she joins a small list of former pro football players to come out.

Who is Maven Maurer?

Maven Maurer is likely the first former professional football player to come out as transgender. She played for over a decade in the CFL, winning championships and awards. Now, she's out as a trans woman and happier than ever.

What was Maven Maurer's football career like?

Maurer was a fullback and special teams player for 13 years in the Canadian Football League, playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, B.C. Lions, Ottawa Renegades, and Edmonton Elks. She won two CFL championships, one with the Lions in 2000, and another with the Elks in 2005, when she was honored with the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian award in the championship game.

Over her 152 games, she had 758 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, and was a star on special teams, racking up 168 career special teams tackles, ninth most in CFL history.

How did Maven Maurer realize she's trans?

Maurer realized she was trans shortly after the COVID pandemic. According to 3 Down Nation, a CFL news website, she had a near-death experience, and started to journal, meditate, and go to therapy. It was there that she realized she was trans.

"I never wanted to look within and part of me didn't know if I could handle it. There was a lot of shame, a lot of guilt," Maurer said. "Everyone has that room in their house that you just throw stuff in that you’re going to deal with later or you don’t know what to do with it. It might be just a closet or whatever, but that room is in your mind as well. Once I opened up that door, a bunch of past experiences and a bunch of memories that were suppressed all came flooding back."

When did Maven Maurer come out?

After realizing she was trans, Maurer slowly began wearing women's clothes and transitioning, but made sure to put her family first. She says the first person she came out to was her wife, and that she waited until her youngest child graduated high school to publicly come out.

She first came out publicly in June 2023 on a social media post.

"A new chapter: I just want to be visible. I can't wait to share this journey with you," she said.

At first, she tried out the name Talyn, but eventually settled on Maven, which legally became her name in January 2024.

What does she say about her transition?

"I've never used the word content before. I've never felt that, but I'm definitely the closest I've ever been," she told 3 Down Nation. "It's been remarkable the difference it’s made in my day-to-day and with my mental health. I used to be so angry and I would run on that, and now that I’m running on love, I feel like I’m amplified 100 times. I’m seeing that acceptance not only from my teammates but from my co-workers at CN, seeing it from my friends, seeing it in the community."

She also said she wants to help inspire and be a resource for any other CFL players who want to come out.

"I've got a lot of catching up to do. I want to try to reach more people. I want to be more visible. I want to use any voice that I have to raise awareness," she said. "One of the things I talked about with my therapist is when you shine your light and other people see it, it secretly gives them permission to shine theirs. Sometimes you don’t know that things are a possibility until you see someone else doing it."

Have other pro football players come out as LGBTQ+?

16 former NFL players have come out as gay or bi, almost all of them after they retired. The exception is Carl Nassib, who came out in 2021 and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year before retiring. According to 3 Down Nation, the only former CFL player to come out has been former Montreal Alouettes' defensive lineman Michael Sam.