For her opinions on gender identification, J.K. Rowling has been accused of being transphobic.
Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have been instructed by author J.K. Rowling to “keep their sympathies” as their relationships continue to deteriorate due to the controversy surrounding transgender identity and rights. In a number of posts on X (previously Twitter), Ms. Rowling criticized the stars in response to a groundbreaking analysis of gender discrimination in the UK. She criticized “celebs,” who she claimed had “used their platforms to clap on the transition of juveniles.” In 2020, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe are just two of the celebrities who have spoken out against the author’s attitude on gender identity.
In her posts, Ms. Rowling, who has recently been criticized for anti-trans comments, shared a new independent evaluation “of the clinical evidence for transitioning children”. On X, a disciple responded to her, “Only waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very common apology… safe in the knowledge that you will accept them.”
Responding to this, Ms. Rowling said, “No safe, I’m afraid. Celebrities who cosied up to a movement that wanted to diminish women’s hard-won rights and who supported the transitioning of minors may keep their apologies for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women who rely on single-sex spaces.”
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 10, 2024
JK Rowling’s Fall Out With Daniel Radcliffe And Emma Watson
JK Rowling has been accused of being transphobic for her opinions on gender identity and for her assertions that trans women shouldn’t be permitted into female-only spaces. Her controversial comments about the transgender community have deteriorated her relationship with celebrities.
The “Harry Potter” author first made gender-sensitive remarks in 2019 when she supported Maya Forstater after the researcher lost her job for her allegedly transphobic tweets. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that she made her views on the subject explicit. Retweeting an article about “people who menstruate”, she wrote, “I’m certain there used to be a term for those people. Somebody please assist me. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud”?
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love transgender people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” she added.
This prompted widespread anger from activists, Harry Potter fans, and many others. Daniel Radcliffe, who played the lead protagonist Harry Potter, was the first to speak out against Ms. Rowling. “Transgender women are women,” he said in a 2020 statement, as per The Independent.
He was backed by Emma Watson, who made similar comments. On X/Twitter, she wrote that “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.”
In order to show support for the transgender community, Radcliffe also wrote an essay for The Trevor Project in 2022, and he apologized “for the pain” Rowling’s remarks have caused Harry Potter fans.
On the other hand, Emma Watson appeared to take a jab at Rowling at the Baftas in 2022 and wrote, “I want my trans fans to know that we and so many other people around the world see you, honor you, and love you for who you are.
However, following the release of the Cass report this week, Rowling took aim at Radcliffe and Watson, telling them to “save their apologies” for “traumatized detransitioners”.
Additionally, her remarks came after it was reported that, in accordance with Scotland’s new hate crime law, the police could investigate her for transgender issues. However, despite what she called the “ludicrous law,” Ms. Rowling, who has regularly argued online that transgender women are not women, vowed to continue calling a man a man. She added that she would not delete any social media posts that might violate hate crime rules.
