Radcliffe: Rowling’s trans views hurt young Potter fans
HE found fame in the harry Potter films but was swift to speak out against JK Rowling when she sparked controversy over her views on gender.
Now Daniel Radcliffe, 33, has explained why he intervened in the row, saying he felt strongly that he ‘needed to say something’ to support fans of the franchise.
The actor published an open letter in June 2020 saying ‘we need to do more to support transgender and non-binary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm’.
He has now revealed that he felt he had to say something after fans were ‘hurt’ by the views of the harry Potter author.
‘The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that,’ he told the IndieWire film website.
‘And so seeing them hurt on that day, I… wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.’
Miss Rowling, 57, was accused of transphobia after she tweeted about an article that referred to ‘people who menstruate’ in 2020.
‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people,’ she wrote. ‘Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’
She later shared her thoughts on gender-neutral spaces, saying she felt strongly about protecting women’s rights as she was a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. Since saying that biological sex is real, Miss Rowling has faced a barrage of abuse, including death threats.
Radcliffe, who is starring in the biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, added that it was ‘really important’ for him to speak out as he had worked with the Trevor Project for more than ten years.
The project is a suicide prevention and mental health organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The actor said: ‘I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything.’