Daniel Radcliffe Says "Transgender Women Are Women" After J.K. Rowling's Most Recent Transphobic Tweets

JK Rowling is back in the news, but the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’ author isn’t earning a lot of fans with her latest comments. Recently, the author went on Twitter to defend her views on trans people, which is viewed by many as transphobic. But even though this isn’t the first time Rowling has done something like this, we now have ‘Harry Potter’ star Daniel Radcliffe speaking out against the words of the writer.

After a number of transphobic tweets, Radcliffe responded via an essay written on The Trevor Project website. Radcliffe discussed the comments made by Rowling and refuted the claims that the author seems to be making.

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“Transgender women are women,” he wrote. “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.”

He continued, “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.”

This comes after various tweets from Rowling that have upset quite a few people who say that her message is clearly transphobic and goes against the message of her ‘Harry Potter’ series.

READ MORE: J.K. Rowling Defends Casting Johnny Depp In ‘Fantastic Beasts’

The tweet that seems to be garnering the most discussion said, “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 trans 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.”

In another tweet, she added, “The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences – is a nonsense.”

These tweets from Rowling come after the author has spent years being called transphobic as she tweets similar things time after time. The cycle keeps repeating itself with fans getting upset, the author giving an explanation that further makes her seem transphobic, fans getting more upset, life moving on. Except this time, it appears that folks have had enough and are ready to be done with Rowling for good. But what about ‘Harry Potter’ and the novels that have shaped so many of the lives of the people she has offended?

READ MORE: ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Star Says Film Is “Very Similar To The Feel Of The First Movie” & Leads To A “Massive War”

“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,” Radcliffe said. “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.”

It’ll also be interesting to see what Warner Bros. does in light of this most recent controversy. Rowling is still the woman that is writing the scripts for the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise, and with fans upset over the author’s comments, will the studio downplay her involvement or keep moving forward? The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film series has already been under fire for the inclusion of Johnny Depp, who has been involved in a very public court case where he is accused of domestic violence. Not only that, the films themselves have been underwhelming at the box office and not fan-favorites, to say the least. So, maybe a change is good.

There’s really no other way to end this discussion of Rowling’s controversy and Radcliffe’s comments than with a quote from the books that led us here.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” – Albus Dumbledore