Daniel Radcliffe expresses sadness over JK Rowling's anti-Trans comments

Daniel Radcliffe, who has actively been a voice and supporter for the LGBTQ community over the years, expressed his sadness and disappointment over author JK Rowling's anti-trans comments.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he told The Atlantic, adding, “because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”

His comments marks the first time a lead member of the Harry Potter films has spoken since the publication of the Cass review of gender identity services, and Rowling’s subsequent suggestion on social media that he and co-star Emma Watson were “celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors”.

Their rift started in 2020 when Rowling shared anti-trans remarks. Radcliffe was among the first Harry Potter cast members to raise his voice in defence of the trans community. He issued a statement through LGBTQ+ suicide-prevention group the Trevor Project, saying: “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.”

Explaining the reason why he penned the essay, Radcliffe said, " I’d worked with the Trevor Project for 12 years and it would have seemed like, I don’t know, immense cowardice to me to not say something." He continued, "I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments. And to say that if those are Jo’s views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise."

"I did have a realisation of a connection to Harry Potter and this stuff. A lot of people found some solace in those books and films who were dealing with feeling closeted or rejected by their family or living with a secret," he added and assured that he will continue supporting the rights of all LGBTQ people.