CW Transphobia

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe denounced J.K. Rowling’s continued anti-trans comments, stating that they make him “really sad.” Rowling became the subject of speculation once again after responding to a British investigation claiming that puberty blockers for trans minors were allegedly unsafe.

During an interview with The Atlantic, Radcliffe described his disappointment in Rowling for her views. ”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.“

Despite all of this, however, Radcliffe wanted to make clear that he is not attempting to instigate “in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and [himself],” proclaiming that it’s “really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now.”

According to a report led by Dr. Hilary Cass titled The Cass Review, there is supposedly “shaky” evidence that puberty blockers could help trans youth with gender dysphoria. Instead, her team recommended that parents seek other methods to address their children’s distress.

In response to these statements, Rowling took to Twitter and used the report as evidence of her anti-trans views. She then took the chance to shoot back against celebrities that support trans rights, claiming that they “cosied [sic] up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors.” Rowling then further claimed that it’s too late for “apologies for traumatised [sic] detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces.”

Many gender studies groups have shared their skepticism of the report, calling into question their usage of “randomized control studies” with no double-blind methods preventing biases. According to a statement from the trans health group GenderGP by Dr. Hane Maung, the report “neglects a vast amount of evidence on the benefits of gender-affirming medical treatment for trans youth” and makes “claims and recommendations that are not informed by any evidence at all.”

With this in mind, Radcliffe continues to support the trans community in all of their struggles and will remain a staunch supporter of the LGBTQIA+ Youth group the Trevor Project. “I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments… and to say that…they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise.” He then concluded his statement by saying, “Trans women are women.”