Over the past three years, J.K. Rowling has successfully alienated herself from an entire generation of Harry Potter fans through her transphobic comments. While many Potter actors have publicly denounced her tirade against transgender people, Daniel Radcliffe has now circled back to share why he spoke out against the author back in 2020.
As Rowling's transphobia made headlines that year, Radcliffe penned an open letter for the Trevor Project where he stated his support for trans and non-binary people. Referring back to the letter in a recent interview with Indiewire, he voiced his concerns for trans Harry Potter fans who felt blindsided by Rowling's comments.
"The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I've met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that," Radcliffe said. "And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important."
He continued, "It was really important as I've worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don't think I would've been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything. But it's not mine to guess what's going on in someone else's head."
Since Rowling's transphobia was made public, she has continued to defend herself while intermittently adding more hate to the mix. She is seemingly so obsessed with demonizing trans people that it became a major plotline in her new book, and detractors like Billy Bragg have suffered her wrath online.
While other Harry Potter castmates such as Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne have denounced Rowling's comments, a few — including Ralph Fiennes and the late Robbie Coltrane — have defended her stance.
As Rowling's transphobia made headlines that year, Radcliffe penned an open letter for the Trevor Project where he stated his support for trans and non-binary people. Referring back to the letter in a recent interview with Indiewire, he voiced his concerns for trans Harry Potter fans who felt blindsided by Rowling's comments.
"The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I've met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that," Radcliffe said. "And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important."
He continued, "It was really important as I've worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don't think I would've been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything. But it's not mine to guess what's going on in someone else's head."
Since Rowling's transphobia was made public, she has continued to defend herself while intermittently adding more hate to the mix. She is seemingly so obsessed with demonizing trans people that it became a major plotline in her new book, and detractors like Billy Bragg have suffered her wrath online.
While other Harry Potter castmates such as Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne have denounced Rowling's comments, a few — including Ralph Fiennes and the late Robbie Coltrane — have defended her stance.
