Actor and activist Emma Watson has joined a growing chorus of Harry Potter stars in speaking out against J.K. Rowling‘s never-ending anti-trans stance, and encouraged her millions of followers to donate to trans organisations in the UK.
Earlier today, Rowling published an open letter explaining her position on trans people, titled ‘TERF wars’. (TERF stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.) In her letter, Rowling defended her anti-trans position by citing a single controversial study to cast aspersions on whether people who transitioned really wanted to do so.
In response, Watson 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.”
She continued: “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.”
Watson then encouraged her 29 million followers to donate to Mermaids, a charity which supports trans and gender-diverse children, and Mama Cash, a feminist fund that supports both cis and trans women around the world.
“Happy #PRIDE2020,” Watson finished. “Sending love x.”
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.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020
It comes after Daniel Radcliffe – her co-star in all eight Potter films – released a statement on the LGTBQ non-profit service The Trevor Project affirming his love and support for trans people.
“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 said.
“It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and non-binary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
Eddie Redmayne, who stars in the Fantastic Beasts franchise (and somewhat controversially played Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, in 2015’s The Danish Girl), has also issued a public statement against Rowling’s views.
“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,” he told Variety.
“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,” he continued. “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”
Guess there’s only one thing left to do here:
https://twitter.com/ira/status/1270838032468307968
