Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community that some readers may find distressing.
J.K. Rowling has issued a sharp reaction following the signing of a pro-transgender open letter by three actors from the Harry Potter franchise, in response to a recent decision by the UK Supreme Court.
Judges ruled on April 16, stating that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This significant ruling concluded that an individual who was not born biologically female could not gain the legal protections granted to women by the Act through a Gender Recognition Certificate.
According to the BBC, the Act still offers transgender individuals protection against discrimination. Dr. Michael Foran, a public law lecturer at Glasgow University, noted, “They are protected under our equality law.”
After the UK Supreme Court’s pivotal decision, Harry Potter author Joanne Kathleen Rowling, famously known as J.K. Rowling, expressed her approval of the ruling.
She referred to it as the TERF version of VE Day on social media and stated, “Women have fought (and are still fighting) the single biggest land grab on their rights in my lifetime.
“Some have sacrificed their livelihoods and safety to combat a pernicious ideology that has infiltrated elite institutions, including government.”
In the wake of this, many celebrities came forward to sign a pro-transgender open letter.
Eddie Redmayne, known for his role as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts series, Katie Leung, recognized for her portrayal of Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, and Paapa Essiedu, who is set to play Severus Snape in the upcoming HBO reboot, were among those who endorsed the letter.
On Saturday, May 3, Rowling criticized the ‘back-stabbing colleagues’ who signed the letter through an essay posted on social media.
“In light of recent open letters from academia and the arts criticizing the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on sex-based rights, it’s possibly worth remembering that nobody sane believes, or has ever believed, that humans can change sex, or that binary sex isn’t a material fact,” the author wrote.
“These letters do nothing but remind us of what we know only too well: that pretending to believe these things has become an elitist badge of virtue,” she continued.
Rowling further argued that ‘signatories of these sorts of letters are motivated by fear’.
“Fear for their careers, of course, but also fear of their co-religionists, who include angry, narcissistic men who threaten and sometimes enact violence on non-believers; back-stabbing colleagues ever ready to report wrongthink; the online shamers and doxxers and rape threateners, and, of course, the influential zealots in the upper echelons of liberal professions.”
Rowling has also clearly stated her thoughts on Eddiedu signing the open letter.
On Monday, May 5, she responded to a headline from the Scottish Daily Express: “JK Rowling won’t have new Harry Potter TV star sacked despite defiance.”
In response, she tweeted, “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did,” adding, “I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
Rowling’s recent statements follow her previous criticism of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson for opposing her views on transgender issues.
Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the Warner Bros. films, and Watson, who portrayed Hermione, have both shown their support for the transgender community.
After Rowling’s 2023 comment about preferring jail over using someone’s preferred pronouns, Radcliffe apologized to the trans community for any ‘pain’ caused by her remarks, while Watson assured fans that many people see, respect, and love them for who they are.
Rowling reacted to the pair’s comments after seeing a message that stated, “Waiting for Dan and Emma to give [her] a very public apology … safe in the knowledge that [she] will forgive them.”
“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,” she replied in 2024.
On March 17, Rowling appeared to revive her conflict with Radcliffe and Watson, possibly also referencing Rupert Grint, the actor who played Ron Weasley.
Responding to a post asking, “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?”, Rowling quipped, “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.