--- title: Daniel Radcliffe Speaks Out Against J.K. Rowlings Transphobic Comments: Harry Potter description: Radcliffe responded to J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments about transgender people, writing that he hopes her remarks will not “taint” what the series meant for fans canonical: https://time.com/5850542/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender/ author: Madeleine Carlisle article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-06-09T14:54:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T08:51:46.751Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 'Transgender Women are Women.' Daniel Radcliffe Speaks Out Against J.K. Rowling's Controversial Comments About Transgender People og:description: “Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe said. “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.” og:url: https://time.com/5850542/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81fe36f16d8ffe72/698a0f21656a3ff348bda346/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: daniel radcliffe harry potter j k rowling transgender og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Transgender Women are Women.' Daniel Radcliffe Speaks Out Against J.K. Rowling's Controversial Comments About Transgender People twitter:description: “Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe said. “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.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81fe36f16d8ffe72/698a0f21656a3ff348bda346/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Transgender Women are Women.' Daniel Radcliffe Speaks Out Against J.K. Rowling's Controversial Comments About Transgender People > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. 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Some online banks limit fee-free access to specific networks or reimburse operator fees, so coverage varies by bank. ### Sources * Ally.com: [ally.com](/c/ally-2026-q3/home?i=ba4fef3a-3dd7-42d5-8aec-ae9737ce15be&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) * Ally Newsroom: [media.ally.com](/c/ally-2026-q3/newsroom?i=ba4fef3a-3dd7-42d5-8aec-ae9737ce15be&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) * Ally content hub: [ally.com/stories](/c/ally-2026-q3/stories?i=ba4fef3a-3dd7-42d5-8aec-ae9737ce15be&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) ### FAQ structured data (JSON-LD, optional) ### Disclaimers * Ally Bank, Member FDIC. * Round up boosters are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account and requires an Ally Bank Spending Account. * Ally Bank Spending Accounts include access to an add cash feature utilizing VanillaDirect Pay provided by InComm Financial Services California, Inc. and by InComm Financial Services, Inc. (NMLS# 912772), which is licensed as a Money Transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Madeleine Carlisle](https://time.com/author/madeleine-carlisle/)  ## Madeleine Carlisle Jun 9, 2020 2:54 PM UTC  Daniel Radcliffe attends the 2018 Turner Upfront at One Penn Plaza on May 16, 2018 in New York City. Daniel Radcliffe attends the 2018 Turner Upfront at One Penn Plaza on May 16, 2018 in New York City.Gary Gershoff/WireImage—Getty Images  by [Madeleine Carlisle](https://time.com/author/madeleine-carlisle/)  ## Madeleine Carlisle Jun 9, 2020 2:54 PM UTC On Monday, actor Daniel Radcliffe [responded](https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/06/08/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-j-k-rowlings-tweets-on-gender-identity/) to [_Harry Potter_ ](https://time.com/4824047/harry-potter-20th-anniversary/)author J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments on transgender people, writing that he hopes her remarks will not “taint” what the series meant for fans and said he believes that “transgender women are women.” Rowling was accused of transphobia on Saturday after mocking a news headline, [“Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.”](https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-creating-a-more-equal-post-covid-19-world-for-people-who-menstruate-97312#.XtwLnv0aEeR.twitter) “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling [wrote](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1269382518362509313?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1269382518362509313&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vogue.com%2Farticle%2Fjk-rowling-transphobic-tweets). She doubled down on her comments later that day in a [separate Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1269407862234775552?s=20), writing: “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.” > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1269382518362509313) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1269389298664701952) Many people online — including prominent LGBTQ+ artists, activists and organizations — criticized her comments as transphobic, pointing out that they excluded transgender men who menstruate and transgender women who don’t, as well as cis-gender women who no longer menstruate. Some said her comments were [especially hurtfu](https://twitter.com/scary%5Flibrary/status/1269388756106252292?s=20)l because the inclusive message of _Harry Potter_ had helped them through difficult times in their lives. In a [statement](https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/06/08/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-j-k-rowlings-tweets-on-gender-identity/) posted to the LGBTQ suicide prevention nonprofit The Trevor Project on Monday, [Radcliffe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn1sSg%5FG50c&list=LLDymd7zWP7K80s4LHFpdX%5FA&index=1752), who portrayed Harry Potter in the movie adaptation of series, responded to Rowling’s comments and made clear that he disagrees with her view of sex and gender. “Transgender women are women,” he wrote. “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.” He added that while “certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in fighting between J.K. Rowling” and himself, he said that “is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now.” “While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, 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, I feel compelled to say something at this moment,” he said. Radcliffe explained that, according to the Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth report having been discriminated against because of their gender identity. “It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm,” he said. He recommended readers consult [The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth](https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/trevor-support-center/a-guide-to-being-an-ally-to-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth/) as a starting point. “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,” he continued. “If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe… 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.” “It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much,” he said. Katie Leung, who portrayed the character Cho Chang in the _Harry Potter_ film series, also [posted on Twitter](https://twitter.com/Kt%5FLeung/status/1269574865733988356?s=20) in support of trans people, asking people to donate to multiple organizations that help black trans people. Saturday wasn’t the first time Rowling has been accused of transphobia. In December, the author tweeted her solidarity with Maya Forsater, a British woman whose contract at a think tank was not renewed after she tweeted her disagreement with the British government’s plan to allow people to declare their own gender. Forsater has [publicly said](https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1207398013422964736?s=20) she believes it is impossible for people to change their sex. “\[Sex\] is a biological fact & is immutable. There are two sexes. Men are male. Women are female,” Forsater [tweeted](https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1207398013422964736) at the time. The following day, Rowling [tweeted](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1207646162813100033?s=20), “Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? [#IStandWithMaya](https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithMaya?src=hashtag%5Fclick)[ #ThisIsNotADrill](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsNotADrill?src=hashtag%5Fclick).” > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/1207646162813100033) “\[Rowling\] has aligned herself with an anti-science ideology that denies the basic humanity of people who are transgender,” the LGBTQ rights organization GLAAD [responded](https://twitter.com/glaad/status/1207739771629518849?s=20) at the time. “Trans and non-binary people are not a threat to women, and to imply otherwise puts trans people at risk.” > [](https://twitter.com/glaad/status/1207739771629518849) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5850542/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5850542/daniel-radcliffe-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-transgender/"},"headline":"'Transgender Women are Women.' 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