Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has opened up for the first time about defending the trans community following comments made by JK Rowling.
Radcliffe, who in 2020 apologised for “the pain” Harry Potter creator Rowling has caused fans after making anti-trans comments, has elaborated on why he spoke out against Rowling.
“The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that,” he explained to IndieWire.
“And so seeing them hurt on that day, I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
Radcliffe chose to apologise to fans through a letter published through Trevor Project and explained why he decided to utilise the organisation, which offers crisis and support services for LGBTQ+ youth, to show support for the trans community.
“It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than ten years. And so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything. But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head.”
In his 2020 open letter, Radcliffe encouraged fans not to lose hope in the storyline, which often helped people identify with certain characters saying, “If you believe that a particular character is trans, non-binary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual … then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion, nobody can touch that.”
