Rupert Grint reveals why he spoke out on JK Rowling’s transgender row: ‘I wanted to get some kindness out there’
Actor shared support for the transgender community following comments by JK Rowling
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Your support makes all the difference.Rupert Grint has said that he decided to weigh in on the transgender debate because “it’s still important to stand up for what you believe in”.
He told The Times: “Social media can start conversations but if you put your opinions out there, you can get bombarded.”
“I do think it’s still important to stand up for what you believe in, and for people and communities that need our support and love,” said the actor. “That’s why I spoke out last year, I wanted to get some kindness out there.”
In June last year, the actor said that he opposed comments made by author JK Rowling that had been branded “transphobic” online.
“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers,” Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, wrote. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”
The 32-year-old added: “We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”
Rowling faced backlash last year after posting a series of tweets that were widely described as “anti-trans”, which the author then followed up with a lengthy blog post.
The essay was criticised by LGBT+ advocacy groups and others for containing inaccuracies and perpetuating harmful beliefs about transgender people.
Grint’s Harry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson also voiced their support for the trans community in the wake of Rowling’s comments.
Radcliffe, who played the titular wizard in the franchise, penned an essay for LGBT+ suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project, echoing Grint’s statement as he wrote: “Transgender women are women.
“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."
Watson additionally encouraged her fans to donate to trans-support charities.