Over the weekend, author J. K. Rowling decided to hop on Twitter in the middle of Pride Month and ongoing protests against racial injustice to fire off several transphobic tweets. The Harry Potter author wrote, in part, that “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. 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 received justifiable backlash for her transphobic comments, and now Daniel Radcliffe is weighing in. The actor wrote a short essay for The Trevor Project in direct response to J.K. Rowling’s tweets, saying the following:
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
Radcliffe also said that this isn’t about creating drama between himself and Rowling, saying “I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now. While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.”
Additionally, the actor spoke to Harry Potter fans who feel like their experience of the book has been “tarnished or diminished,” saying “I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.” He also noted, “it means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.”
Read Radcliffe’s full statement here, and while you’re at it check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth.
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