USWNT Players Wear 'Protect Trans Kids' Wristbands in Protest of Texas Gov.'s Letter

The United States women's national soccer team showed their support for transgender children during Wednesday's 5-0 win over Iceland in the SheBelieves Cup in response to a letter issued by Texas governor Greg Abbott. 

According to ESPN.com, several players on the team were wearing "Protect Trans Kids" wristbands on the pitch at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. 

"With the platform we have, we really wanted to show why this team is different and why we do things that are much bigger than just the game," Catarina Macario told reporters.

Abbott's letter included a directive calling on "licensed professionals" and "members of the general public" to report parents to state authorities to investigate children undergoing gender-affirming medical care under the pretense of trying to prevent "child abuse under existing Texas law."

Per Meg Linehan of The Athletic, Macario said the idea to wear the wristbands was prompted by a message from Megan Rapinoe. 

After scoring her second goal of the match late in the first half, Macario found a television camera to show her wristband in order to "make sure everyone was able to see it, and it wasn't just another thing getting (swept) under the rug."

In addition to the on-field response from the USWNT, Becky Sauerbrunn issued a response on Twitter to Abbott's letter: 

The U.S. women's national team has frequently been at the fore of igniting conversations on political and societal issues. 

In a July 2019 interview with David Marchese of the New York Times, Rapinoe said she wanted to use her "platform to unify people."

Rapinoe spoke at the White House in March 2021 to voice her support for the trans community.

"As someone who has played sports with someone who is trans, I can assure you all is well, nothing is spontaneously combusting," she said.

Rapinoe, Macario, Kristie Mewis, Margaret Purce and Andi Sullivan were among those pictured wearing the wristbands during Tuesday's game.