Pedro Pascal, renowned for his roles in acclaimed series like The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, has publicly criticized JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, due to her ongoing controversial statements regarding the transgender community.
The actor's comments came in response to a video posted by writer and activist Tariq Raouf on April 17. In the video, Raouf criticizes Rowling's endorsement of the UK Supreme Court's recent ruling, which defines "woman" as "a biological woman and biological sex" for the purposes of equality legislation, thereby excluding transgender women from protections under the Equality Act. Following the ruling, Rowling celebrated on Twitter/X with a photo of herself smoking a cigar and drinking by the ocean, captioning it, "I love it when a plan comes together," in reference to her financial support of the organization, For Scotland Women, which initiated the legal challenge.
Pedro Pascal has been a vocal advocate for the transgender community. Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Raouf's video denounces Rowling's actions as "serious Voldemort villain sht" and calls for a boycott of all things related to Harry Potter. In response, Pascal replied to the video, stating, "Awful disgusting SHT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior."
This is not the first instance of Pascal supporting the transgender community. He has previously expressed his views on social media, sharing, “I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorizing the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you, except the right to exist," accompanied by a photo of a sign that reads, "A world without trans people has never existed and never will." Additionally, Pascal showed his solidarity by wearing a "Protect the dolls" shirt at the premiere of Thunderbolts in London, where "dolls" is a term used within the LGBTQIA+ community to refer to trans women.
Pascal's support extends to his personal life as well. His sister, Lux Pascal, came out as a trans woman in 2021, and Pascal has been openly supportive, celebrating her announcement with the message, "Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux," translating to "My sister, my heart, our Lux."
