Last month, J.K. Rowling made it clear that she has no intention of ever forgiving Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, or any other celebrity that has chosen to speak out in support of trans people both in and out of the wake of the author’s clumsy social rhetoric. Radcliffe seems to be okay with that, even if he somewhat grieves the person that he and many others once believed Rowling to be.
Speaking recently to The Atlantic, the actor and Trevor Project partner remarked on the author’s social media saga yet again, lamenting Rowling’s actions that — to someone such as Radcliffe, who has personally known the author since he was a young boy — are apparently not at all what he would have expected from her.
It makes me really sad, ultimately. I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.
But it was his response to the question of Rowling’s most recent tweet (namely, “…Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces”) that solidified Radcliffe as perhaps one of the staunchest allies in the business today.
I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.
It’s a simple response, to be sure; some might even call it dismissive. However, as someone who isn’t beholden to the world that trans people must walk in day after day, Radcliffe absolutely made the right call in choosing not to weigh in too heavily on the actual nuances of the scrutiny that trans people are facing right now.
Indeed, whether Radcliffe is aware of this or not, his response is indicative of the fact that if true, honest progress is to be made on the front of trans issues (be it education, healthcare, or the institutions that are still falling behind on accommodation), then it’s trans voices that need to be heard. Radcliffe has shown his support for those voices time and time again in numerous ways; without a doubt, he’s pulling his weight.
As for what Rowling could do to pull her weight, my suggestion would be to heal. It’s been beyond clear for quite a while now that she’s operating from a place of severe insecurity, and she seems to have very little interest in addressing that in a holistic manner; ditto the issues she claims to be passionate about.
All that to say, best of luck, Rowling; I have no doubt that there was at least some truth in Radcliffe’s prior assessment of you. I hope you can one day see yourself the way he saw you when he was younger, because that day clearly isn’t this one.
