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Daniel Radcliffe publicly supported transgender people in a statement published by The Trevor Project on June 8, 2020, after J.K. Rowling’s comments about gender identity drew widespread criticism. He also apologized to Harry Potter fans who felt those comments had diminished their experience of the books, and explained that he was speaking to affirm people—not to turn the issue into a celebrity feud.
What did Daniel Radcliffe say about J.K. Rowling?
In his June 8, 2020 statement, Radcliffe wrote: “Transgender women are women.” He urged people to support transgender and nonbinary people rather than invalidate their identities, and said he was still learning how to be a better ally.
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He also addressed readers who felt hurt by Rowling’s comments. Radcliffe apologized to fans who felt the books had been tarnished or diminished for them, and acknowledged that some people’s experience of the series had been affected. The statement was directed in part to those fans and to transgender people—not simply to Rowling.
Radcliffe cautioned against framing his response as a personal dispute: “I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now.” His stated focus was the effect of the debate on transgender people and the need to support them.
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Why did Radcliffe respond?
Radcliffe said in the 2020 statement that he felt compelled to speak as a human being and as someone who had worked with and supported The Trevor Project. He directed readers to the organization’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth.
In a 2022 explanation reported by CBS News, Radcliffe said he had met queer and trans young people who strongly identified with Harry Potter. He wanted them to know that not everyone associated with the franchise shared Rowling’s views. That later explanation adds context to his motivation; it is distinct from the wording of his 2020 statement.
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What prompted the 2020 statement?
The immediate context was Rowling’s June 2020 objection to the phrase “people who menstruate” in a published article, followed by further tweets about sex and gender, as CBS News reported at the time. Radcliffe’s response was published publicly by The Trevor Project on June 8, amid the ensuing dispute. It was not a private exchange between the two.
Radcliffe’s letter also cited a Trevor Project figure: 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth had reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. The statement did not give the survey year or methodology alongside that figure, so it should be read as a statistic attributed to The Trevor Project in that 2020 statement, not as a current rate.
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Sources and further reading
- The Trevor Project: Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Tweets on Gender Identity (June 8, 2020), including Radcliffe’s statement and the allyship guide.
- CBS News: “Transgender women are women”: Daniel Radcliffe responds to J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments (June 9, 2020), on the immediate context.
- CBS News: Daniel Radcliffe defends speaking out against J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments (November 2, 2022), on his later explanation of why he spoke.
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