Eddie Izzard Defends J.K. Rowling, Claims Author Is Not Transphobic

Eddie Izzard, who recently announced that she is gender-fluid and uses pronouns she/her, is defending J.K. Rowling amidst accusations that the Harry Potter author is transphobic. These accusations come after Rowling received powerful backlash regarding tweets and an essay about her thoughts on gender. Her comments were publicly denounced by organizations like GLAAD, and even Harry Potter film stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

In a new interview, Izzard stated that, after following the controversy, she does not believe that Rowling is transphobic.

“I think we need to look at the things she has written about in her blog. Women have been through such hell over history. Trans people have been invisible, too. I hate the idea we are fighting between ourselves, but it’s not going to be sorted with the wave of a wand. I don’t have all the answers. If people disagree with me, fine, but why are we going through hell on this?”

Rowling’s essay, which was published on her website in June 2020, stated that she refuses to bow down to a movement that she believes “is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it.”

Rowling continued to state that these beliefs are a result of her experiences with sexual assault and domestic abuse, continuing to say that she wants trans women to be safe but does not want women or girls to feel unsafe in the process.

“When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman … then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside,” Rowling wrote.

The essay has caught enormous online backlash. Sarah Kate Ellis, the president of GLAAD, stated that she found the essay to be “misinformed” and “dangerous” towards the transgender community.