Daniel Radcliffe has responded to JK Rowling’s controversial comments about gender, saying ‘transgender women are women’. The Harry Potter actor penned an essay for LGBT charity The Trevor Project, saying he hoped the author’s comments wouldn’t ‘taint’ the series for fans for those who have been offended by her stance, which many have accused of being transphobic{
Over the weekend, Rowling shared an article with the headline ‘Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate’ and wrote: ‘“People who menstruate.” I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’ Following subsquent backlash, she then added: ‘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.’
In response, Daniel felt 'compelled to say something at this moment' - even though he said Rowling was 'unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken' and that some outlets might paint the essay as 'in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself'.
‘Transgender women are women,' he said. 'Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity 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.’
Offering reassurance to fans, ‘who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished’, the actor said he was ‘deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you’. He added, ‘If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe... that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, non-binary, 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. I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.’
It's not the first time Rowling has been accused of transphobia. Last year she was criticised after she tweeted in support of Maya Forstater, who lost an employment tribunal over making transphobic comments online.