The decision of several global sporting bodies to ban transgender women from elite contests stems from “fearmongering” about gender minorities, said Marvel Studios’ first openly trans actor, Zach Barack.

Barack, who made Marvel history by appearing in the studio’s 2019 film Spider-Man: Far from Home, was speaking after world bodies governing rugby league and swimming clamped down on trans participation in top-level events.

“It’s fearmongering,” Barack, 26, said in a video call from his home in Los Angeles. “The push against trans people in sports further villainises them.”..