Pedro Pascal has publicly slammed JK Rowling, calling her a “heinous loser” after she celebrated the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that legally defines women as biological females. The Last of Us star, 49, left the comment on a post made by activist Tariq Ra’ouf, who called for a total boycott of Harry Potter following Rowling’s reaction to the landmark judgment.
Pascal has been outspoken in his support for the transgender community, and responded to the post saying: “Awful disgusting S**T is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.”
The post included a clip of Rowling puffing on a cigar aboard her $150 million superyacht in celebration of the ruling.
Ra’ouf didn’t hold back in his caption, urging viewers to “make sure every single thing that’s Harry Potter related fails”. Pedro’s comment came just a day after he appeared at the London premiere of Thunderbolts wearing a black Protect The Dolls T-shirt.
This phrase has become popular in queer communities to symbolise rallying around trans women. The actor has consistently used his platform to speak out for LGBTQ+ rights.
Earlier this year, he posted the phrase: “A world without trans people has never existed and never will”, adding his own caption saying, “I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorising the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you, except the right to exist.”
Pedro’s support has a personal element to it as his younger sister Lux came out as transgender in 2021. At the time he shared an image of a magazine cover shoot Lux took part in, writing, “Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux” – which means “my sister, my heart, our Lux”.
Speaking to Esquire, Pedro described her as “one of the most powerful people and personalities I’ve ever known”, adding: “My protective side is lethal, but I need her more than she needs me”.
Rowling’s stance on trans women has been a continuous source of controversy since 2019. She helped to fund the women’s rights group behind the Supreme Court case, and after the ruling, posted: “Trans people have lost zero rights today, although I don’t doubt some (not all) will be furious that the Supreme Court upheld women’s sex-based rights.”
This resulted in backlash online from people who saw the ruling as a fresh blow to the transgender community. The decision means that even trans women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from certain single-sex spaces, if that is deemed necessary.
In recent years, Rowling’s views on sex and gender have sparked a negative response from the Harry Potter cast. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all distanced themselves from her, while speaking out in favour of trans rights.
Grint was previously quoted saying “trans women are women”, while Watson championed trans people being able to live their lives “without being constantly questioned”.
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