Daniel Radcliffe Addresses JK Rowling’s Stance on Trans Women
Daniel Radcliffe has finally spoken out about JK Rowling’s stance on trans women after she declared she wouldn’t accept any apologies from him. The 34-year-old actor has been a vocal supporter of the trans community but has been careful not to address the 58-year-old author on the topic.
Rowling’s Controversial Statements
Rowling has increasingly made what have been criticized as ‘anti-trans’ statements as she dared the Scottish police to arrest her over a Hate Crime Act coming into effect. Her social media account is incredibly active, with the children’s author posting constantly on the topic of trans women, misgendering them and stirring up outcry.
Rare Comment from Radcliffe
By contrast, Radcliffe has stayed fairly quiet and opted to work directly with charities like The Trevor Project, steering clear of the elephant in the room — until now. The Miracle Workers star confessed: ‘It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.’
Radcliffe’s Stance and Involvement
At just 11 years old Radcliffe shot to fame as titular Harry Potter in the huge book franchise, helming the series to its conclusion over a decade later. He continued to the Atlantic: ‘Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.’
This rare comment on Rowling comes after his name was brought up by a fan who was ‘waiting’ for him and Emma Watson to ‘offer a very public apology’ after the Cass review was published.
Support for LGBTQ Rights
Speaking of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide-prevention hotline and crisis-intervention resource, Radcliffe explained he had worked with the team for 12 years. ‘It would have seemed like, I don’t know, immense cowardice to me to not say something,’ he continued. ‘I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments. And to say that if those are Jo’s views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise.’
Radcliffe added: ‘I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.’