Recently, JK Rowling courted controversy over her use of transphobic remarks on Twitter, enraging netizens on the social media platform. On Monday, actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played the lead in the Harry Potter series penned by JK Rowling, responded to the same. Radcliffe isn’t officially on social media. He responded to the author’s controversial comments through a blog post he wrote for The Trevor Project.
In the blog post he writes, “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.”
He further adds, “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.”
Earlier, in a post on Twitter, the author of the Harry Potter series wrote, “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
In another post, Rowling goes on to defend her comments by saying, “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.”
‘Stop Tweeting So We Can Continue to Love Your Books’
One person on Twitter slammed Rowling for her comments, saying, “JK Rowling choosing to tweet about trans women not being real women RIGHT NOW during BLM uproar really shows her depth of thought about trans people AND black people.”
Another Twitter user urged the author to “learn and do better”. She also added, “Just because you have a bigoted past doesn't mean you can't learn and change your mind. It's called growth. Only the willfully ignorant are beyond it.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)