J.K. Rowling has responded to the actors who signed an open letter in support of individuals affected by the UK Supreme Court’s decision, which limited the legal definition of “woman” to those assigned female at birth — excluding those who have transitioned or are in the process of doing so.
These actors, many of whom have appeared in the Harry Potter franchise, have now distanced themselves from the author, who has been vocal about her views on transgender issues and expressed approval of the ruling.
J.K. Rowling Responds to Harry Potter Actors Who Signed the Pro-Trans Open Letter
J.K. Rowling has spoken out about the signatories of an open letter that criticized a recent UK Supreme Court ruling, which clarified the legal definition of “woman” under the Equality Act as referring specifically to individuals assigned female at birth.
The open letter voiced support for transgender individuals who were reportedly affected by the decision, since the ruling means laws regarding single-sex services may no longer apply to them in the same way.
However, the court emphasized that trans and non-binary people remain protected from discrimination under the Act.
Intended to urge members of the entertainment industry to speak out against the ruling, the letter calls on professionals throughout the field to show solidarity with the trans community. In response, Rowling shared a detailed post on X, where she wrote:
“In light of recent open letters from academia and the arts criticising 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.”
Rowling, who has been called a TERF by many over the past few years, stated that these letters give people in elite circles a chance to pretend to believe certain things in order to show off how virtuous they are.
She went on to say, “Some argue 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.”
Although Rowling did not mention any names directly, she seemed to address certain actors from the Harry Potter franchise with the following remark:
“I wonder if they ever ask themselves how they got here, and I wonder whether any of them will ever feel shame.”
Among those who signed the letter are Paapa Essiedu, who is set to play Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot; Eddie Redmayne, known for his role as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films; and Katie Leung, who portrayed Cho Chang in the original movie series.
In her essay, Rowling also described the “non-believers” she referenced as including “back-stabbing colleagues,” “online shamers, doxxers, and rape threateners,” as well as individuals in “liberal professions” whom she described as “influential zealots.”
Harry Potter Stars Back the Trans Community After Supreme Court’s Gender Ruling
Several Harry Potter stars have signed an open letter expressing support for transgender individuals affected by the recent UK Supreme Court ruling, even as J.K. Rowling voiced approval of the decision.
As reported by Deadline, the letter states, “We the undersigned film and television professionals stand in solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling on April 17.”
It continues, “The Supreme Court’s ruling that, under the Equality Act, ‘woman’ is defined by biological sex, and that ‘the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man,’ undermines the lived experiences and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people in the U.K.”
The letter invites 2,000 people across the entertainment industry to endorse the initiative. So far, approximately 400 individuals have signed.
Among them are Bridgerton's Bessie Carter, daughter of Dame Imelda Staunton (who portrayed Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films), and Daisy Haggard, who provided the voice for the Ministry of Magic elevator.
Other notable signatories include The Last of Us actor Bella Ramsey, The Brutalist star Joe Alwyn, and Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan.
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