Martina Navratilova rips into Pedro Pascal after he criticized JK Rowling in trans feud
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticized Hollywood star Pedro Pascal after he reignited his bitter feud with J.K. Rowling over her views on transgender issues.
Pascal, who is due to appear in Marvel's summer blockbuster The Fantastic Four in a matter of weeks, branded Rowling a 'heinous loser' in an interview with Vanity Fair.
The 49-year-old, who has a transgender sibling, originally lashed out at the best-selling author on Instagram earlier this year after she praised a Supreme Court ruling protecting women-only spaces.
The Chilean-born actor described Rowling's reaction as 'awful, disgusting' and 'heinous LOSER behavior.'
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Pascal appeared to take aim at Rowling again, claiming he acted because he 'hates bullies'.
'The one thing that I would say I agonized over a little bit was just, "Am I helping? Am I f***ing helping?"' he said.
'It's a situation that deserves the utmost elegance so that something can actually happen, and people will actually be protected. Listen, I want to protect the people I love. But it goes beyond that. Bullies make me f***ing sick.'
The Harry Potter creator, 59, hit back in typically savage fashion and said: 'Can't say I feel very shut down, but keep at it, Pedro. God loves a trier.'
Now Navratilova, who has also been a staunch critic of trans women in the past, backed Rowling in response to her post on X.
The tennis legend added: 'Another Johnny come lately telling women to STFU.'
The row originally erupted after Rowling posted a defiant photo of herself smoking a cigar on a boat, with the caption: 'I love it when a plan comes together,' celebrating the court ruling which banned biological men from using single-sex spaces such as women's toilets, hospital wards and changing rooms.
That photo sparked outrage from Pascal, who responded furiously online and has continued to attack Rowling in public.
The actor, who has starred in The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, previously shared a post declaring: '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.'
Rowling has become a leading voice in the gender-critical movement, often clashing with trans rights activists and celebrities who oppose her views.
The 68-year-old Navratilova, one of the all-time greats in tennis who won 18 major titles in her career, has also been a consistent voice in calling for lawmakers to protect women's sports and stop biological men from competing.
She has also been a critic of Donald Trump but has lamented hesitancy from the Democrat party in following the lead of Republicans on the issue.
In April, she said on X: 'I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women's sports being for females only.'
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