NEED TO KNOW
- Pedro Pascal is a longtime outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community
- He called out J.K. Rowling for her “disgusting behavior” after she supported an anti-transgender ruling in the U.K. in April
- He doubled down on his comments in a cover story interview with Vanity Fair
Pedro Pascal is defending transgender women once again.
Two months after the actor went viral for calling out J.K. Rowling for her “disgusting behavior” after she supported an anti-transgender ruling in the U.K., Pascal opened up about his decision to do so in a cover story interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday, June 24.
Pascal, whose sister, Lux Pascal, came out as transgender in 2021, shared a comment under an Instagram video criticizing Rowling for supporting the U.K. Supreme Court’s April 16 ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based solely on biological sex under Britain’s Equality Act.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
“Awful disgusting SH– is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior,” the longtime outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community wrote.
Reflecting on his decision to call out the Harry Potter author, Pascal told Vanity Fair that the attention it brought felt briefly like “that kid that got sent to the principal’s office a lot for behavioral issues in public schools in Texas feeling scared and thinking, What’d I do?”
However, he was worried about whether he was helping or hurting the situation.
“The one thing that I would say I agonized over a little bit was just, ‘Am I helping? Am I f——helping?’ It’s a situation that deserves the utmost elegance so that something can actually happen, and people will actually be protected,” he said.
“Listen, I want to protect the people I love,” continued Pascal. “But it goes beyond that. Bullies make me f——sick.”
Pascal’s other sister, Javiera Balmaceda Pascal, also defended him, telling the publication that Rowling’s actions were “heinous loser behavior.”
“And he said that as the older brother to someone saying that our little sister doesn’t exist,” she added.
Pascal previously also showed his support for transgender women when he wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with “PROTECT THE DOLLS” to the U.K. premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* in London on Tuesday, April 22.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Dolls” is an affectionate term coined by the LGBTQ+ community to refer to transgender women. The shirt is part of a campaign by American designer Conner Ives, bringing attention to anti-transgender sentiment.
Pascal’s next film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, opens on July 25. He also stars in Materialists, which is now in theaters.
Read the full article here
