J.K. Rowling Blasts ‘Harry Potter’ Stars Daniel Radcliffe & Emma Watson For ‘Cheering On’ Transgender Rights

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling called out Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson for “[using] their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors.”

On Wednesday, when a social media user wrote to Rowling, “Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology … safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them” for their previous support of trans rights, Rowling responded, “Not safe, I’m afraid.” 

She wrote, “Celebs who cozied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces.”

Neither Radcliffe nor Watson ever asked or implied a need for Rowling’s forgiveness.

Rowling, a self-proclaimed trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF), has consistently used her platform to criticize transgender activists and argue that trans women undermine the feminist cause. She previously said she would happily spend time in prison for her opinion on the matter. 

Radcliffe and Watson have not explicitly commented on the transitioning of minors, but both have expressed support for the broader transgender community.

Watson, renowned for her portrayal of Hermione Granger, shared on social media in 2020: “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 added, “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.”

In the same period, Radcliffe, who played the lead role in Harry Potter alongside Watson, published a statement through the Trevor Project, “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 [Rowling] or I.” 

Rowling’s controversial remarks against the transgender community have prompted various responses from former Harry Potter cast members who have expressed support for the trans community. Among those who have spoken out are Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Katie Leung and Chris Rankin.