British actor Daniel Radcliffe opened up about why it was important for him to make a public statement about Harry Potter author JK Rowling for her views on the transgender community.
J.K. Rowling, the acclaimed author behind the beloved Harry Potter franchise, came under scrutiny for her past remarks that have been deemed offensive towards the transgender community. This has stirred controversy among fans of the series, as the books and films advocate themes of acceptance and tolerance, making Rowling’s comments surprising and disappointing to many.
Daniel Radcliffe is Firm on His Stance
Daniel Radcliffe reiterated his position in an interview with IndieWire, which saw him look back on the 2020 open letter in which he wrote that “we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary individuals.“
“The reason I was felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing ‘Potter,’ I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that. And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important,” Radcliffe explained in the interview.
Radcliffe was referring to an open letter he wrote in June 2020, in which he definitively stated his support for transgender people in the wake of Rowling’s comments.
“It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and non-binary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm,” he wrote then.
What Did J.K. Rowling Say?
Author J.K. Rowling was accused of making “anti-trans comments” on Twitter after she came under fire for her support of a researcher who lost her job due to her transphobic tweets.
The writer took issue with the wording of a headline for an opinion article, which read, “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.” The article was written for Devex, a “media platform for the global development community,” according to its website.
“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people,” Rowling tweeted. “Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?“
Twitter users swiftly criticized the tweet for appearing to define a woman as a person who has a menstrual period and equivocating one’s sex or sex organs with their gender identity.
Rowling posted an additional series of tweets later trying to defend and explain her earlier, now-viral statement.
“I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” Rowling tweeted.
“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women — ie, to male violence — ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences — is a nonsense.”
Her tweet sparked widespread criticism and outrage. Radcliffe’s fellow Harry Potter stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint also spoke out against Rowling’s comments.
