Harry Potter actor Emma Watson on Thursday came out in support of trans people responding to recent comments made by author JK Rowling.
Watson who plays the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise tweeted, “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.”
“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,” she added.
She also said that she donates to charities supporting trans people. Watson is not the only Harry Potter cast member to respond to these comments. Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter in the franchise on Monday also responded to Rowling’s recent remarks calling out the author of the Harry Potter series for her tweets that he claimed were “erasing the identity and dignity of transgender people.”
“I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now,” Radcliffe had said in an official statement.
“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,” Radcliffe had said.
The actors were referring to the series of tweets posted by Rowling on Saturday criticizing those who believe that a person's assigned sex at birth isn't “real.” The tweets were in response to the backlash she received in her criticism of the phrase “people who menstruate” used in an article.
“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling had tweeted.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” she had said.
“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women - ie, to male violence - ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is nonsense,” she added.
The author on Wednesday released a detailed blog post revealing that she has been a victim of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The post was to provide context to her comments which have received a lot of backlash for being anti-transgender with some even labelling them as ‘transphobic’ on social media.