After Radcliffe, ‘Harry Potter’ actors react to Rowling’s anti-transgender tweets

After author J.K. Rowling’s controversial tweets that have being slammed as ‘anti-transgender’ and ‘transphobic’, a host of celebrities from the Harry Potter franchise have spoken out in support of the community. Actor Daniel Radcliffe was the first to release a statement. “Transgender women are women,” he had said in statement in which he apologised to Potter fans for Rowling’s statements.

And now actress Emma Watson, who essayed Hermione Granger in the franchise, tweeted: 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.”

Bonnie Wright, who essayed Ginny Weasley, also took to Twitter to express her opinion. She tweeted: “If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x.”

Evanna Lynch who played Luna Lovegood, tweeted a lengthy statement. “I wanted to stay out of commenting on JKR’s tweets because it feels impossible to address this subject on Twitter but I am saddened to see trans people feeling abandoned by the HP community,” she said.

Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley, said: “I’ve seen a lot of followers arriving here in the last few days with rainbow and trans colours in their profile pictures. You are all SO welcome!”

Eddie Redmayne, who plays the lead role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, told Variety that he disagreed by Rowling’s comments. “Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have been trying to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process. As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand. I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.”

Production house Warner Bros released a statement on the writer’s tweets which read, “The events in the last several weeks have firmed our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues. Warner Bros.’ position on inclusiveness is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world. We deeply value the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves in sharing their creations with us all. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content.”

In the midst of the controversy, Rowling shared a blog post in which she clarified what she meant by her original tweets. In the lengthy post, she also revealed she was a sexual assault survivor. “If you could come inside my head and understand what I feel when I read about a trans woman dying at the hands of a violent man, you’d find solidarity and kinship. I have a visceral sense of the terror in which those trans women will have spent their last seconds on Earth, because I too have known moments of blind fear when I realised that the only thing keeping me alive was the shaky self-restraint of my attacker.”

Rowling kicked up a row after she shared an online article that discussed “people who menstruate”, and tweeted: “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?