Harry Potter author JK Rowling recently kicked a hornets’ nest when she tweeted controversial statement on trans rights and activism that came out as transphobic. However, she refused to ‘bow down’ to criticism and published a lengthy post on her blog website on Wednesday in response to the backlash. She has been under heavy scrutiny about her thoughts on transgender identity from the LGBTQ community along with Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Radcliffe who starred in the lead roles of her film franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Harry Potter respectively. However, both the stars have come forward to differ from her views and lend support to the transgender community.
In her post, Rowling tried to defend her initial tweets regarding sex and gender of women and how identifying sex as a real thing is important. She also came out as a sexual assault survivor. She wrote, “If you could come inside my head and understand what I feel when I read about a trans woman dying at the hands of a violent man, you’d find solidarity and kinship. I have a visceral sense of the terror in which those trans women will have spent their last seconds on earth, because I too have known moments of blind fear when I realised that the only thing keeping me alive was the shaky self-restraint of my attacker.”
TERF warshttps://t.co/mc58tGXOjs
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 10, 2020
She further added, “I stand alongside the brave women and men, gay, straight and trans, who’re standing up for freedom of speech and thought, and for the rights and safety of some of the most vulnerable in our society: young gay kids, fragile teenagers, and women who’re reliant on and wish to retain their single sex spaces.”
However, her stance has not been welcomed by many celebrities. A few days back Daniel had come out in support of transgender people and had said, “Transgender women are women.” He further said, “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.” After his stance, Harry Potter actor Emma Watson (who played Hermione Granger) and Bonnie Wright (essayed the role of Ginny Weasley) has come forward with their individual statements. Check out their tweets below:
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.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020
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.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020
If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x
— Bonnie Wright (@thisisbwright) June 10, 2020
Eddie Redmayne, who plays the lead role of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts franchise told an online portal, “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. I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.”
Noma Dumezweni, who has essayed the role of Hermione in the Broadway productions of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, tweeted the names of a bunch of transgender individuals and activists.
1. Dear Jo - Marsha P. Johnson. Sylvia Rivera. Indya Moore. Angelica Ross. Tamara Adrián. Rebecca Root. Isis King. Laverne Cox. Caitlyn Jenner. Lily and Lana Wachowski. Trace Lysette. Andreja Pejic. Tracey Norman. Janet Mock. APRIL ASHLEY... etc, etc, Wikipedia..
— Noma (@MissDumezweni) June 7, 2020
2. As I honour mine, and the trans friends in my life. I’ll defer to THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES, not their erasure. And these are just the WOMEN! There is Magic in listening. This has stories for millennia. I know You Know All this...with love. Nx #TransRightsAreHumanRights pic.twitter.com/dvkS14rIVL
— Noma (@MissDumezweni) June 7, 2020
Evanna Lynch who played the role of Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter also tweeted about the issue.
Here are my thoughts. Sending love to all. pic.twitter.com/P30YHfnzBN
— Evanna Lynch (@Evy_Lynch) June 9, 2020
Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, also tweeted in support of the transgender community. He shared several tweets to show his solidarity with the trans community and also retweeted Daniel’s statement and Noma’s tweets.
Production house Warner Bros released a statement on the writer’s tweets which read, “The events in the last several weeks have firmed our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues. Warner Bros.’ position on inclusiveness is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world. We deeply value the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves in sharing their creations with us all. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content.”
(Source: Twitter/Variety/JK Rowling)
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