Daniel Radcliffe is apologizing to fans of the beloved Harry Potter series.
The actor, who of course starred as the titular character in the movie adaptations, wrote an open letter to fans and the trans community in response to author JK Rowling‘s recent tweets.
Over the weekend, JK tweeted her frustration after an article wrote that “gender non-binary persons menstruate,” and many fans and even celebs slammed the author for what she said.
Daniel, who has been a longtime supporter of LGBTQ+ organization The Trevor Project, shared his thoughts in a letter he released through their website.
“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,” Daniel wrote. “According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination 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.”
“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,” he continued. “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.”
You can read Daniel‘s full letter on TheTrevorProject.org!
One of Daniel‘s co-stars Evanna Lynch also just recently spoke out about JK Rowling’s tweets. See her response below.
