Why JK Rowling says Harry Potter stars shouldn't beg her for forgiveness
Warning: This article contains discussion of trans issues which some readers may find distressing.
JK Rowling has told some members of the Harry Potter cast to 'save their apologies' if for some reason they wanted to bury the hatchet with her.
The Harry Potter author has been accused of being transphobic after criticising celebrities who 'used their platforms to cheer on' the gender transitioning of children.
The 58-year-old shared her reaction on social media to the release of an independent review of the NHS' gender identity services for children and youngsters in the UK.
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She criticised those who 'cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights'.
During the Covid-19 pandemic she also shared a link to an article titled 'Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate'.
"'People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" Rowling wrote alongside the article.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe issued his support to the trans community by writing an essay for the LGBTQ+ organisation, The Trevor Project.
He also apologised for the 'pain' in which the author had caused to the community.
In 2022, Radcliffe said: “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.”
Now, Rowling replied to a response to her tweets on Wednesday (10 April), which read: "Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology... safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them ..."
Rowling responded: "Not safe, I’m afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces."
What the other Harry Potter stars have said
Emma Watson
Watson, who played Hermione Granger, tweeted back in 2020: “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.”
Rupert Grint
Rupert Grint also said in a statement in 2020: "I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men."
In an interview with the Times in 2022, he added: "I liken JK Rowling to an auntie. I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie. It’s a tricky one."
Ralph Fiennes
The Voldemort actor told The New York Times in 2022: "The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling.
"I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, uber-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’"
Harry Melling
Melling, who played Dudley Dursley, told the Independent in 2022: "I can only speak for myself, and what I feel, to me, is very simple, which is that transgender women are women and transgender men are men."
Evanna Lynch
Lynch played Luna Lovegood in the films and told the Telegraph: "I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable.
"I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
Topics: JK Rowling, Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson
Anish Vij