Harry Potter, a.k.a. Daniel Radcliffe, is among those standing up to author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic remarks.
The actor issued a thoughtful, moving response via The Trevor Project, a website offering mental assistance to LGBTQ youth, asserting their rights and urging them not to let the misconceptions of his famous character’s creator taint the relationship they’ve developed with the wizarding series.
He started his open letter by noting that his response did not indicate a case of “in-fighting” between himself and the author, and that that is not important in the larger context. He noted that he has worked with The Trevor Project for a decade and is still “learning how to be a better ally.”
Rowling, 54, has repeatedly come out publicly, and often, with statements and tweets supporting people who espouse anti-trans views. Most recently, she objected to a headline referring to “people who menstruate” with a tweet asking, ” ‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
The tweet drew immediate backlash, and Radcliffe’s response.
“Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote Monday. “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.”
Given that 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth have reported being discriminated against because of 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 said, suggesting people read the Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth.
The “Harry Potter” star, 30, also entreated readers not to let any relationship they had developed with the characters, books or movies be unduly influenced by the author’s opinions.
“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you,” Radcliffe wrote. “I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred.
“And in my opinion nobody can touch that,” he added. “It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.”