Pedro Pascal praises ‘brave’ trans community at Fantastic Four: First Steps premiere
"It’s a very, very small, vulnerable, inspiring, courageous and brave community"
By Aaron Sugg
Pedro Pascal has spoken out in support of the trans community, calling them “inspiring” and “brave” during the premiere of his latest film The Fantastic Four: First Steps in Berlin.
Speaking on the red carpet, Pascal said: “It’s important to protect people, especially those simply asking for the right to exist in bodies that belong to them and in the world that they never asked to be brought into. It’s a very, very small, vulnerable, inspiring, courageous and brave community that fills me with a lot of inspiration. Therefore, it’s very important to protect that. They would do that for us.”
Pascal, whose sister Lux is trans, made headlines earlier this year for calling out Rowling’s “heinous loser behaviour” first on Instagram, and later in an interview with Vanity Fair, over her response to the UK Supreme Court ruling that defined ‘sex‘ in the Equality Act as biological.
“I want to protect the people I love. But it goes beyond that, bullies make me f**king sick,” he told the publication.
The Harry Potter author replied to the actor’s comment on X (formerly Twitter) : “Can’t say I feel very shut down but keep at it, Pedro. God loves a trier.”
Can't say I feel very shut down, but keep at it, Pedro. God loves a trier. pic.twitter.com/xuyRGiquLx
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 28, 2025
Former tennis champion Martina Navratilova, was also one to slam Pedro in defence of Rowling: “Another Johnny come lately telling women to STFU,” she said.
Earlier this year, Pascal wore a ‘Protect The Dolls’ T-shirt at the Thunderbolts premiere in London. The shirt, created by designer Conner Ives, supports the non-profit Trans Lifeline and has raised tens of thousands of pounds through sales.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released in UK cinemas on 24 July and Pascal will reprise his role as Reed Richards in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in 2026.