Rupert Grint Is Latest Harry Potter Star To Speak Out Against J.K. Rowling’s Transphobic Tweets
Published
| Last updated
Rupert Grint is the latest Harry Potter star to speak out against J.K. Rowling’s transphobic tweets.
Rowling initially sparked outrage by mocking a headline about ‘people who menstruate’, leading many on social media to accuse her of transphobia – something the author has been accused of before. Fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have also spoke out against Rowling’s comments.
In response to the headline, the 54-year-old author sarcastically wrote: ‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’. Following her tweets and the backlash it sparked, Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the films, has now spoken out about it.
Speaking to The Times, Rupert said:
I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.
We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.
Grint is one of many to speak up in favour of the trans community following Rowling’s tweets. Earlier this week, Daniel Radcliffe wrote a heartfelt response on the The Trevor Project’s website.
The Trevor Project is a non-profit organisation providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ+ community.
In the blog, Radcliffe wrote:
While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.
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. 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.
Actor Emma Watson also spoke about the topic on social media.
On Wednesday, June 10, she 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.’
Following the backlash, Rowling wrote a 3,000 word article on her own website, titled ‘J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues’.
In the piece she explains five reasons why she is ‘worried about the new trans activism’, while also discussing her own history of sexual assault.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
Topics: Film and TV, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, LGBTQ+, Now, Rupert Grint, Transphobia
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
