Pedro Pascal is shining a spotlight on protecting transgender women. At the U.K. premiere of Marvel's Thunderbolts* in London Tuesday, April 22, Pascal, 50, wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with "PROTECT THE DOLLS." Pascal is soon to star as Reed Richards and Mr.
Fantastic in Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actor has long been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and particularly transgender women. The Last Of Us star's sister, Lux Pascal, came out as a transgender woman in February 2021.
Pascal frequently shows public support for Lux's transition, and she has accompanied Pascal to several red carpet premieres. Lux is an actress and activist who graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City in 2023. The T-shirt is a part of a larger campaign by American designer Conner Ives.
Ives, 28, designed the piece to call attention to the global anti-transgender sentiment that trans women are experiencing in several countries. "Dolls" is an affectionate term coined by the LGBTQ+ community to refer to transgender women. In an interview with The New York Times, Ives said he felt inspired to use his platform in the fashion world to speak up about transgender political issues.
“In the modern day, what is more ubiquitous than the graphic T-shirt?" Ives continued, "It was very reactive. I knew I wanted to say something, given what we’ve observed in the last few months with the U.S. government and the current political regime."
Several other celebrities have recently donned the prolific T-shirt, including Troye Sivan during Charli xcx's Coachella set. Pascal wore the shirt to the U.K. event during a pivotal moment. The U.K. Supreme Court ruled on April 16 that the legal definition of a woman is based solely on biological sex, disqualifying transgender women from equality law.
The UK.. government said the ruling brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers, per The Athletic. The ruling allows for single-sex services to exclude transgender women. The "PROTECT THE DOLLS" t-shirt proceeds are being donated to Trans Lifeline, a peer support and crisis hotline offering support to transgender people, per The New York Times.
