Watson voices support for trans community in Rowling gender row

Emma Watson has become the latest figure to speak out in support of transgender people, after author JK Rowling sparked a row with her comments on the issue.

The actress, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, joined Daniel Radcliffe and Eddie Redmayne in publicly disagreeing with Rowling, 54.

Watson, 30, addressed her transgender followers in a string of posts on Twitter.

She said: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.

“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”

Watson urged her followers to donate to the Mermaids charity, which helps transgender children, and the feminist fund Mama Cash.

She added: “I donate to @ Mermaids_gender and @ mamacash. If you can, perhaps you’ll feel inclined to do the same.”

Last weekend, Rowling took issue with a headline on an online article discussing “people who menstruate”, and said: “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

And in December last year she voiced her support for a researcher who was sacked after tweeting that transgender people cannot change their biological sex.

Critics accused her of being transphobic, an allegation Rowling strongly denies.

On Wednesday, Rowling shared a lengthy blog post on her website, in which she revealed that she was partly motivated to speak out because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

In the post, she detailed five reasons she felt the need to talk about the issue - including her interest in “both education and safeguarding” and “freedom of speech”.

Explaining her final reason, she wrote: “I’ve been in the public eye now for over 20 years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor.

“This isn’t because I’m ashamed those things happened to me, but because they’re traumatic to revisit and remember. I also feel protective of my daughter from my first marriage. I didn’t want to claim sole ownership of a story that belongs to her, too.

“However, a short while ago, I asked her how she’d feel if I were publicly honest about that part of my life and she encouraged me to go ahead.”