A day after Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered state child welfare agencies to consider children receiving gender-confirming care as victims of abuse, members of the U.S. women's national soccer team wore wristbands with the message “Protect Trans Kids" written on them.
The team defeated Iceland, 5-0, in Wednesday night's SheBelieves Cup final, though the show of support for trans children in Texas drew the most notable attention. The governor's letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services decreed instances of gender-confirming care to children to be investigated.
“I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” Abbott wrote.