Daniel Radcliffe wins hearts with his reply to Rowling’s ''anti-trans' tweet

Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has responded to author J.K. Rowling’s ‘anti-transgender’ tweets that have stirred up a controversy on social media. In a long statement, Radcliffe apologised to Potter fans and said he hoped Rowling’s tweets do not ‘taint’ the series for fans.

Recently, Rowling shared an online article discussing “people who menstruate” and tweeted: “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Social media users criticised for being ‘transphobic’, an allegation which she denied.

In a powerfully worded statement through the LGBT suicide prevention charity the Trevor Project, Radcliffe said that while Rowling “is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken ... 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 stated. He said that statistics from the Trevor Project that found 78 per cent of transgender and non-binary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity.

Addressing Rowling and Potter fans who felt they could no longer connect with the books they loved, he said: “To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. 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. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much,” he added.

Social media users are all praise for Radcliffe’s statement and for standing up for the community.