Harry Potter author J K Rowling was recently called out for her tweets which many believed were “anti-transgender”. People even accused her of being a “transphobe”. And, now Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has also responded to the author’s tweets in a long statement posted on The Trevor Project.
“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,” Radcliffe stated.
He further shared that 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth have reported that they have been the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. He noted, “We need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
The actor also addressed Harry Potter fans and apologised to them if they were hurt by JK Rowling’s comments.
Radcliffe wrote, “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. 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.
It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much,” he added.
In his statement, Radcliffe also clarified that this is not a fight between JK Rowling and himself. The actor said that he issued the statement because he “feels compelled to say something at this moment.” - Indian Express
