Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has opened up about his decision to publicly denounce J.K. Rowling in the wake of the anti-trans comments she made last year.
In June, Rowling shared an article about menstrual health to her 15 million Twitter followers, highlighting her issue with the phrase “people who menstruate” before sarcastically implying that the author should have used the word “woman.”
‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA
After being accused by many of her followers of trans erasure, the author doubled down on her comments before suggesting that cisgender women face more discrimination.
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.
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 a nonsense.
I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.
She then followed up her tweet with an entire essay recycling dangerous anti-trans stereotypes and clichés and reiterating her belief in the “importance of biological sex,” or the sex people are assigned at birth.
Her comments drew outrage from the trans community, who accused Rowling of “denying our humanity” and “relentlessly attacking us.”
In all seriousness though, J.K. Rowling is the worst kind of transphobe, because she somwhow has convinced herself that she has love & compassion for trans people while simultaneously denying our humanity & relentlessly attacking us. She should just admit she hates trans people.
Soon celebrities were joining the criticism, including numerous stars of the Harry Potter film franchise. Daniel Radcliffe said he felt compelled to speak out and tell fans that “transgender women are women.”
Emma Watson tweeted that trans people deserve to live their lives without their identity and humanity being questioned.
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.
And Rupert Grint then joined his costars in speaking out. He released a statement saying that people deserved to “live with love and without judgment.”
“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers,” Grint wrote in a statement provided to the Times.
Well, Grint has now opened up about his decision to take a public stance against Rowling, revealing in an interview with Esquire that he felt it was important to speak up for the “valuable” trans community.
“I am hugely grateful for everything that she’s done,” he said of Rowling. “I think that she’s extremely talented. I mean, clearly her works are genius. But I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.”
“I think to stay silent would have spoke [volumes],” he went on. “Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to.”
“Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject,” Grint added. “But just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.”
