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Daniel Radcliffe reacts to JK Rowling's controversial tweet, says 'transgender women are women'

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Jun 09, 2020, 12:33 PM IST
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Photograph:(Twitter)

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Radcliffe penned his thoughts in an essay for the website of the Trevor Project, a non-profit dedicated to crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ community.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who shot to fame for playing Harry Potter in the films based on JK Rowling's books, has now weighed in on the author's controversial tweet.

Reacting on the same, Radcliffe said that "transgender women are women" and it has now become more important than ever to "not cause further harm" to the community.

Over the weekend, Rowling faced severe backlash on Twitter after she criticised an opinion piece that used the phrase "people who menstruate" and posited that discussion of gender identity invalidates biological sex.

Radcliffe penned his thoughts in an essay for the website of the Trevor Project, a non-profit dedicated to crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ community.

The article that was published on Monday had the actor admitting that the essay may be used by the media as "in-fighting" between him and Rowling.

While he was clear that the writer was "unquestionably responsible" for the course of his life, he felt the need to speak out.

"As someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being. I feel compelled to say something at this moment."

"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," Radcliffe added.

The actor also highlighted that  78 per cent of transgender and nonbinary youth have reported that they have been discriminated against due to their gender identity.

"It's clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm," he wrote.

Following criticism over her tweet, Rowling had later tried to explain herself but that led to further criticism. "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," she wrote.

"The idea that women like me, who've been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they're vulnerable in the same way as women — ie, to male violence — ''hate'' trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences — is a nonsense," she further said.

Not only did her statement anger the LGBTQ community but avid fans of the 'Harry Potter' series admitted to have been let down by their favourite author.


Radcliffe addressed to the fans and said "sorry"  for the pain these comments have caused, hoping that those words won't too much "taint" the meaning of the Harry Potter books for them.

"I really hope that you don't entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.

"If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that," he said.