Published 10:44 IST, June 9th 2020
Daniel Radcliffe opposes JK Rowling in trans row; apologises to 'pained' Harry Potter fans
Daniel Radcliffe said, 'I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you' in a statement responding to 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling's tweets.
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Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe broke his silence on author J.K. Rowling's controversial tweets and issued a lengthy response to her views on gender identity through a non-profit organization called The Trevor Project. The 30-year-old actor is an active contributor to the organization which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ youth. He took a stand on the Harry Potter author's alleged "anti-transgender" tweets by clarifying, right at the outset, that his expression in the statement is not a result of any "in-fighting" between Rowling and him.
Radcliffe said that he felt compelled to speak out given the influence Rowling has had in his life. He stated that "Transgender women are women" and stood firm against the invalidation of their gender identities which Rowling has been accused of. The author sparked controversy, a few days ago, when she shared an opinionated article and pointed out the lack of terminology for 'people who menstruate'. She tweeted, "‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Rowling followed it up with a series of tweets where she reinstated her belief that sex and gender only exist in binaries. The outrage against her has people calling her “anti-trans” and “transphobic” on social media. After backlash from many celebrities like Katie Leung, Jameela Jamil and others, Radcliffe's statement on the controversy had been highly anticipated.
Radcliffe wrote in his statement, "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."
He then apologized for the pain Rowling's comments had caused and said, "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."
10:44 IST, June 9th 2020