Daniel Radcliffe speaks out on JK Rowling's 'anti-trans' tweets

Actor and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has issued a lengthy response to author JK Rowling's recent Twitter comments on transgender people, expressing his hope that her remarks have not "tarnished or diminished" fans' experience of her Harry Potter books.

In a statement posted to LGBT suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project's website, Radcliffe said that while Rowling was "unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken," he felt compelled to speak out "as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being".

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He continued;

"Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I."

The actor went on to address fans of the Harry Potter books and voiced his hope that their experience of the books would not be "tarnished" by Rowling's comments.

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The statement reads;

"To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much."

Rowling sparked a backlash on Saturday after posting a series of tweets that people immediately called out as "anti-trans" and "transphobic".

One tweet reads, "If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth."

You can read Daniel Radcliffe's full response on The Trevor Project's website.