Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung aren’t the only actors from the Harry Potter universe to disagree with JK Rowling’s tweets on trans people. Hours after Rowling published her essay on gender bias, Emma Watson, Eddie Redmayne, and Bonny Wright issued statements, standing in support of trans people.
Speaking to Variety magazine, Redmayne, who plays Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movie series said, “Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have been trying to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process.
“As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand,” he continued. “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so,” Redmayne, who has also played Lili Elbe, a transgender woman in his Oscar-winning performance in The Danish Girl, added.
Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series, put out a few tweets expressing support for transgender people, saying she ‘loved them’. Notably, this was a few hours after Rowling’s essay, so her thread received some backlash from supporters of Rowling.
Similarly, Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley, also put out a tweet supporting trans people.
Rowling has now been deemed a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) and a transphobe for stating sex is real.
JK Rowling was called out after she tweeted an opinion article: “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? “
The article stated that an estimated 1.8 billion ‘girls, women and gender non-binary persons menstruate’.
After being called a host of not-very-nice things, Rowling tweeted: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. 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.
