Daniel Radcliffe rose to fame by portraying a character made known to the world within the pages of a J.K. Rowling book.
But now the actor has made it as clear as possible:
He and the author are not on the same page when it comes to how they view transgender individuals.
In a blog entry published by The Trevor Project — a non-profit organization that centers on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth — Radcliffe wrote on Monday that he felt “compelled to say something.”
And then he said the following:
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.
As you can see, Radcliffe comes right out there and mentions Rowling.
The Harry Potter author got into a number of testy Twitter exchanges over this past weekend after she posted an opinion article from a global health website titled “Creating a More Equal Post-Covid-19 World for People Who Menstruate.”
Rowling then shared her confusion with the phrase “people who menstruate,” writing:
“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Many critics — from celebrities such as Sarah Paulson to the organization GLAAD — called Rowling out for this stance, considering it dismisses the notion of transgender women as women.
But Rowling didn’t back down.
“I’ve spent much of the last three years reading books, blogs and scientific papers by trans people, medics and gender specialists,” she wrote. “I know exactly what the distinction is. Never assume that because someone thinks differently, they have no knowledge.”
And she continued:
“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.”
In Radcliffe’s new post, the actor behind Harry Potter himself added that he was still “learning how to be a better ally.”
He then shared resources for people who want to learn more about transgender and nonbinary identities.
“According to The Trevor Project, 78 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity,” Radcliffe wrote.
“It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
The 30-year-old actor then went on to address fans of the beloved book series who expressed their disappointment on social media following Rowling’s comments.
“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you,” he wrote.
“I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.”