Actor Eddie Redmayne, who starred in the film adaptation of JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise and played trans pioneer Lili Elbe in the 2015 film The Danish Girl, denounced transphobic tweets made by Rowling over the weekend.
Said Redmayne in a statement to Variety: “Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have been trying to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process.”
“As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand,” he continued. “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”
Redmayne’s statement comes after Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe released a similar statement denouncing Rowling’s remarks earlier in the week.
Rowling’s tweets:
In December 2019, Rowling sparked another firestorm, ending a weeks-long Twitter silence to show support for a researcher who had been fired from an international thinktank over a series of transphobic tweets, one of which asserted, “Men cannot change into women.”
And as far back as 2017 she’s been “liking” content deemed as transphobic.
Rowling’s latest remarks prompted GLAAD to denounce her: “JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans. In 2020, there is no excuse for targeting trans people.”
In addition to Radcliffe and Redmayne, several other stars from the Harry Potter franchises have come out against Rowling’s remarks, including Evanna Lynch, Chris Rankin, and Katie Leung.
