Reaction when I stood up for trans women made me realise I had to do more

Manchester City and Netherlands player explains why she has become an LGBT Foundation patron and the importance of keeping football free of hate
In April, after scoring for Manchester City against Everton, I kissed a band in the blue, white and pink colours of the transgender flag on my right wrist. I felt very strongly about the supreme court ruling, politically and emotionally. It really hurt me, even though I?m a cisgender woman, and it still hurts me because it targets people within my community.
I really feel part of the queer community because I grew up in a pretty small town in the Netherlands and didn?t have a lot of queer people in my circle or in school, and there wasn?t a lot of representation on TV. I never really felt a part of any community because I didn?t really know it was out there. Growing up and coming out and being in women?s football, which has a very accepting and open environment, and then moving to Manchester, I felt that I could be myself and I became much more in touch with the community. It has been a new, refreshing part of my life.
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