What does Protect the Dolls mean? What Pedro Pascal's viral t-shirt signifies, explained

Pedro Pascal recently created headlines for his T-shirt featuring the words “Protect the Dolls.” Notably, the actor was spotted wearing the same as he arrived for the premiere of the MCU film Thunderbolts on April 22, 2025, in London, as per People magazine.

According to USA Today, Pascal’s shirt refers to his support for transgender women, and it was created by Conner Ives, a popular fashion designer. Apart from this, Newsweek stated that the word “dolls” is also used for transgender women.

The news of Pedro Pascal wearing the Protect the Dolls T-shirt arrived around a week after the U.K. Supreme Court declared that a woman would be legally recognized based on her biological sex, leading to the exclusion of transgender women, as stated by People magazine.

The Game of Thrones star has showcased his support for the LGBTQ+ community for the last few years, specifically after his sister Lux came out in February 2021 on the cover of a magazine called Ya. Lux also addressed her brother’s support at the time by saying:

“When I officially told him about my transition through Facetime, he asked me how I felt… because I remember that he was worried. I told him: ‘I’m happy.’ And his answer was: ‘Perfect, this is incredible.’”

Lux also disclosed in the cover story that she initially came out as nonbinary, adding that although it is easy for her to live among everyone normally as a woman, she would continue being an advocate for nonbinary people so that they can “have a space in society.”

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Protect the Dolls T-shirt: Creation and other details explained

The Santiago, Chile native turned 50 on April 2 this year, and he celebrated the occasion in London, which was attended by some popular faces from the entertainment industry, as per the Daily Mail.

However, Pedro Pascal grabbed a lot of attention by wearing the same T-shirt featuring the words “Protect the Dolls.”

As mentioned, the T-shirt was designed by Conner Ives, who was also spotted wearing it during one of his shows in February this year.

While speaking to The New York Times on April 18, 2025, Conner said that a day after the show, he received several emails questioning him on how and where to purchase the Protect the Dolls T-shirt.

Ives opened up on the idea behind creating the T-shirt, saying that he was aiming to send a message to everyone based on the actions that were being taken by the US government for the last few months and the ongoing political scenario.

He further stated:

“The world is changing in front of our very eyes and there was a helplessness that came with that. The girls who walk my show are trans and I have so many friends that are trans women in the United States. It reached a point where I couldn’t really remove myself anymore.”

USA Today stated that the profits obtained from Protect the Dolls T-shirt sales are donated to a nonprofit organization supporting trans people, called Trans Lifeline.

Speaking about the slogan on the T-shirt, Ives told The New York Times that he aimed to have something like an Instagram caption. He mentioned the reasons behind choosing Protect the Dolls and said:

“It was better getting to the meat of what I was trying to say. My love for my trans friends – I don’t think that’s something that I have to promote on a T-shirt. Whereas the protection of my trans friends feels right now like something that is being taken for granted.”

According to The New York Times, the T-shirt is priced at $99 on Connor’s official website, and apart from Pedro Pascal, it has been used by celebrities such as Troye Sivan.