If you spend any time even adjacent to Harry Potter fandom, it’s hard to have missed the evolving narrative around the series regarding author J.K. Rowling and her beliefs on gender and transgender people. Daniel Radcliffe spoke out against her views early on and explained his rationale in a new interview with IndieWire.
“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,” Radcliffe explained. “And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted to them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
“I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years,” Radcliffe continued, referencing the site where he published his initial letter in June 2020. “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.”
The controversy began with a series of Twitter posts by Rowling. In the wake of her posts, many primary members of the film cast have come out against her views led by H.P. himself, while others like Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes, have defended her more than once. Since then, many Potter-adjacent organizations, like the developers of the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy and the group that organizes the sport formerly called Quidditch have distanced themselves from her.
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