Entertainment
Rupert Grint says he ‘respects’ but ‘disagrees with’ JK Rowling after comments on transgender people
Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has opened up about speaking out in support of the transgender community after JK Rowling’s controversial comments.
The Ron Weasley actor pointed out that it’s possible to be respect someone and disagree with them at the same time.
‘I am hugely grateful [for] everything that she’s done. I think that she’s extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius,’ he said. ‘But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.’
The 32-year-old added to Esquire: ‘Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to [speak out] because I think it was important to […] Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.’
Rowling first faced backlash last year when she commented on a story with the headline: ‘Opinion: Creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate’.
Criticising 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?
‘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.’
The author, 55, then denied being transphobic and insisted: ‘I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans.
‘At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.’
Following her comments, Grint issued a statement to The Times, saying: ‘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.’
Other stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, and Evanna Lynch also spoke out in support of the transgender community.
Meanwhile, the likes of John Cleese and Robbie Coltrane supported the author, while Ralph Fiennes has said he ‘can’t understand the vitriol’ directed at her.
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