Daniel Radcliffe reacts to J K Rowling’s anti-trans comments

MUMBAI: In an open letter to fans, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe reflected on author J K Rowling’s anti-trans comments. The British author faced extreme backlash after she posted some controversial anti-trans tweets on June 6. Addressing all Harry Potter fans , the actor spoke up against the author. “Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote in an essay posted to the website of the Trevor Project, a non-profit organisation focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ people.

It all started when Rowling took to social last week and shared some thoughts on sex essentialism and argued that discussion of gender identity invalidates biological sex. The 54-year-old author shared an article, titled ‘Creating a More Equal Post-COVID-19 World for People Who Menstruate,’ and was instantly criticised for the phrase "people who menstruate." Rowling was labeled transphobic because of the phrase used by her for transgenders. “I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she tweeted.

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In the next post, she explained herself and reflected on why the phrase apparently upset her. “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.” She suggested that a person can only be called a woman if they had certain experiences in their lives and that someone who identified as male at birth, according to her, cannot be classified as a female because the person did not experience what women do.

Rowling also suggested that a trans woman can be a threat to her idea of womanhood. She explained the very acknowledgment of transgenderism undermines her own experiences as a woman. Her views did not go down well with people who slammed her for making such “insensitive” remarks against a very vulnerable section of the society.

In his open letter, Radcliffe reacted to the comment and suggested that Rowling’s statement erases the identity of transgender people. “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,” he wrote. The 30-year-old actor also presented the states and mentioned that about 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth have reported they’ve been discriminated against due to their gender identity.

The actor especially addressed Harry Potter fans and apologised for the author’s comments. “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,” he wrote. Many disappointed fans took to social media and criticised the author for her comments and also for ruining their Harry Potter experience. “I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you,” he added.

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Credits: Pinkvilla