Harry Potter creator JK Rowling says she'll never forgive Harry Potter stars for defending trans rights

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has slammed actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson for their insistence that trans people deserve the same level of basic human respect and empathy as the rest of us.

Rowling has become a highly controversial figure over the last few years thanks to a steady stream of trans-exclusionary posts shared online. A full breakdown detailing much of what she's said and done is outlined in an excellent piece from Glamour.

It's gotten to the point that many longtime Harry Potter fans have chosen to boycott the franchise and anything related to it, including 2023's Hogwarts Legacy. Rowling also failed to appear in the 20th anniversary documentary Return To Hogwarts, though she did feature briefly in archival footage.

As Rowling has continued to double down on her beliefs over the years, many of the stars of the Harry Potter franchise, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Bonnie Wright, have taken steps to support the trans community.

Radcliffe has since apologised for "the pain: Rowling's comments have caused, and even wrote an essay for LGBTQ+ organisation The Trevor Project.

Watson told her trans followers that she and "so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are".

In a now-deleted tweet shared yesterday (April 10), Rowling discussed the Cass Review, which examines gender services for under 18s UK.

Rowling called paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass' report "the most robust review of the medical evidence for transitioning children that's ever been conducted."

The author believes the findings show "kids have been irreversibly harmed", and added: "Thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations."

In response to the post, one user wrote: "Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology ... safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them ..."

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Rowling, however, responded: "Not safe, I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces."

Rowling has a record of deliberately misgendering transgender people, making it clear she will not "delete posts calling a man a man".

As reported by UNILAD, she has also previously suggested she would spend time in prison before referring to a transgender person by their preferred pronouns.

“I’ll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of sex," she wrote.