"Transgender women are women", that is what Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the "Harry Potter" franchise, responded to franchise creator J.K. Rowling's controversial tweets about gender identity.
Rowling, who has often come under fire by the large Potter fandom for her social media posts, sparked backlash over the weekend after mocking a headline about people who menstruate. "People who menstruate... I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. "Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" Shortly after, the author's name was trending on Twitter, with many accusing her of transphobia.
Radcliffe, who doesn't have a public presence on social media, wrote a heartfelt response to Rowling's comments in a blog post for The Trevor Project, a non-profit devoted to suicide prevention among LGBT youth.
"Transgender women are women," he wrote. "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 (Rowling) or I."
"According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity," wrote Radcliffe, who said he has been "honored to work with" The Trevor Project for the last decade. "It's clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm."
Read Radcliffe's full blog post here.
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