Rupert Grint says he 'firmly stands with the trans community' after JK Rowling's controversial comments
Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has spoken out in support of trans rights following the online backlash against JK Rowling.
The author has faced criticism for tweets addressing trans women and wrote a lengthy blog on Wednesday saying her interest in trans issues stemmed from being a survivor of abuse and having concerns around single-sex spaces.
Now, 31-year-old Grint has joined fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Bonnie Wright in speaking up for the trans community.
Grint issued a statement to The Times in which he said: “I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.
"We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”
The backlash against Rowling began after she commented on a story with the headline: “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate.”
Hitting out at the phrasing, she tweeted: ‘”People who menstruate”. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
In the blog post, Rowling described herself as “a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor” and said she had spoken out “out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who’ve been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces."
Eddie Redmayne, star of the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, has also voiced his thoughts on Rowling's statements.
In a statement issued to Variety, he said: “As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand. I disagree with Jo’s comments.
“Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse.
“They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”
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