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Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe recently garnered praise on social media after he revealed why he decided to speak out against J.K. Rowling after she made transphobic comments in June 2020.
In his recent interview with IndieWire, the 33-year-old actor revealed that since finishing the Harry Potter series, he has met several queer and trans fans who have identified with the franchise characters.
The actor added that he has been working with The Trevor Project for a long time, while adding that he doesn't think he "would’ve been able to look [himself] in the mirror" if he hadn't said anything.
At the time, Radcliffe was not the only one from the Harry Potter franchise to speak out against J.K. Rowling's controversial tweets. His co-stars Emma Watson, Katie Leung, and Evanna Lynch also raised their voices on social media against the author's comments.
Twitter hailed Daniel Radcliffe for his comments
After Daniel Radcliffe's reply on why he spoke against J.K. Rowling's controversial tweets went viral, fans hailed the star for supporting transgender people. Users also pointed out that Radcliffe outwardly supporting trans-rights is what makes him different from the rest of the Harry Potter cast.
Daniel Radcliffe states it was important to stand against J.K. Rowling's comments
While speaking with IndieWire in his latest interview, Daniel Radcliffe explained that he wanted trans people to know that not everybody in the franchise felt the way J.K. Rowling did, a move which several people questioned at the time since she gave him the career he has now.
“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. 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.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who is not present on social media, spoke out against Rowling via the website of The Trevor Project, an organization that works towards suicide prevention methods in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The What If actor further added:
“It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 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.”
JK Rowling faced severe backlash online in June 2020, after she posted a series of tweets stating that gender identity annuls biological sex.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
Following her comments, Radcliffe issued a lengthy statement on The Trevor Project's website, apologizing for the comments made by the author.
Daniel Radcliffe began his acting career as a child in 1999 when he starred in the television series David Copperfield as the young titular character. He then got his big acting break in 2001 when he appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and its other sequels.
