Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson’s reactions to J.K. Rowling’s controversial words about transgender people made her very angry.
The British author wrote the first Harry Potter book, “The Philosopher’s Stone,” in 1997. It is one of the most popular stories of all time in the Wizarding World.
In 2001, the first of eight movies with the same name came out. Daniel Radcliffe played the lead role, and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint played Hermione and Ron, respectively.
Each of their jobs was launched by the Harry Potter books. They are thankful to Rowling for coming up with the characters, but they disagree on some things.
In fact, Rowling told Radcliffe and Watson that they could “save their apologies” after they said bad things about her attitude toward transgender people.
How did J.K. Rowling say it?
Someone in June 2020 shared a link to a story on social media called “Opinion: Making the world a more equal place for people who menstruate after COVID-19.”
Radcliffe responded to Rowling’s comments (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
“People who menstruate” was what Rowling wrote in the post, which seemed to make fun of people’s efforts to be more accepting of the trans community. There must have been a word for those people in the past. Please help me. Wumben? Wrinkly? “Woomud?”
Rowling then said that if “s3x isn’t real,” then there is no “same-s3x attraction” and “the lived reality of women globally is erased.” This led to accusations of transphobia, which she refuted.
She said that she believed “every trans person has the right to live in any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.” She also said that she wanted trans people to be free from discrimination.
Rowling also wrote, “I feel nothing but empathy and solidarity with trans women who have been abused by men.” She also said that she doesn’t agree with trans women being in public places like bathrooms because it “opens the door to any and all men who wish to come inside.”
After what Rowling said, Radcliffe wrote an open letter to the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ organization, about the problem.
He said, “It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people and not invalidate their identities.” He also said he was sorry for the “pain” Rowling had caused and hoped it wouldn’t “taint” the Harry Potter movies for trans and non-binary fans.
For her part, Watson wrote on Twitter at the time, “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,” she said.
The author seemed to cut ties with the Harry Potter actors (Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty)
Also in response to what the author said, Grint said, “I firmly stand with the trans community…” Trans women are still women. Trans men are still men. Everyone should be able to live in love and without fear.
Rowling’s answer to the criticism
In April 2024, Rowling shared her thoughts on the transgender community again, but this time she agreed with an outside study of the NHS’s services for children who are gender-identified.
Dr. Hilary Cass’s four-year study found that there was “remarkably weak” proof about the long-term effects of using drugs like puberty blockers to deal with “gender-related distress.”
A fan wrote online that they were waiting for Radcliffe and Watson to “publicly apologize” and that they were “safe in the knowledge” that the actors would be forgiven. Rowling called it a “watershed” moment.
The author, however, answered harshly, “Not safe, I’m afraid.”
Rowling said: “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 s3x spaces.”
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint achieved international stardom from the Harry Potter movies (Indigo/Getty Images)
Radcliffe’s answer to what Rowling said
In answer to what Rowling said, Radcliffe told The Atlantic that the whole thing “makes him really sad.”
“In the end, it makes me really sad because I think about the person I met, the times we spent together, the books she wrote, and the world she made, and all of that makes me feel so deeply connected to her.”
“Jo, it’s clear that Harry Potter would not have happened without her. Similarly, I doubt that anything in my life would be the way it is now without that person.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”
Featured Image Credit: Jon Furniss/Getty Images
