Wil Wheaton on being gay fans’ ‘first crush’ and why he speaks up for trans people
US actor Wil Wheaton attends the premiere of HBO Max’s comedy series “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on July 21, 2026. (Photo by Chris DELMA (Getty Images)
Wil Wheaton has spoken about why he publicly supports trans people, saying he uses his privilege to stand between marginalised people and those who want to hurt them.
In an interview with The Advocate, the 54-year-old actor said he has “all kinds of privilege”, but that a lifetime of being “othered” has shaped how he responds when he sees others being targeted.
“The only way I could be a more protected class of citizen in America is if I were an openly performative Christian nationalist. I’m white. I’m male. I’m upper middle class. I’m semi-famous. I have all kinds of privilege. And yet, I’ve been othered my entire life,” Wheaton said.
“And when I see other people experiencing that, I cannot help myself. I have to throw myself between those people and the people who are hurting them,” he continued.
Wheaton also offered a direct promise to trans people: “Sometimes people who won’t hear you will hear me, even when we’re saying the same thing. And if I can use that privilege to reach that person and make a change, that’s one less person who f***ing hassles you for existing.”
What has Wil Wheaton said about trans rights?
Wheaton attended NYC Pride in June, and has decorated his personal website with blue, pink, and white banners proclaiming “trans rights are human rights”. He also shared a Pride update in an NYC Pride Instagram post.
In the interview, he also spoke about the queer fans he has met over the years, including gay fans who told him he was their first crush. “Love is love!” he said.
Wheaton recalled still meeting “hot dads” who tell him he was their first crush, joking that he is the same age as them.
Wheaton broke out as Gordie Lachance in Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age film Stand by Me (1986), and later played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, becoming a defining face of late-80s and 90s sci-fi fandom. In 2021, he said he called out Dave Chappelle over transphobic jokes while reflecting on how bigoted comedy contributed to his own past homophobia.
Wil Wheaton’s criticism of JK Rowling and the new Harry Potter series
Wheaton also criticised JK Rowling over her views on trans people, saying: “J.K. Rowling’s a piece of s***.”
He added that he thinks everyone involved in producing the new Harry Potter series should be deeply ashamed of themselves.
