Daniel Radcliffe responds to J.K Rowling's tweets on gender identity

[EddyF]

Daniel Radcliffe responds to JK Rowling’s tweets: “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people”

Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Tweets on Gender Identity – The Trevor Project

FULL STATEMENT

I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but 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.

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. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to 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.

I am still learning how to be a better ally, so if you want to join me in learning more about transgender and nonbinary identities check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It’s an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between sex and gender, and shares best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.

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. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; 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. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.

Love always,
Dan

@ffsffsffs i.e. the whole point is that they cannot manage their uncomfortable emotions and women should accommodate this regardless of how uncomfortable it makes them my post referred to not burdening others with your uncomfortable emotions by attacking others. you are talking about something different here, and what you are saying also works both ways, we are surrounded by people whose make us uncomfortable, it isn't a great idea to go round being rude to them, is it?

Why should women have to be accommodating and prioritise male feelings over their own feelings, reality and compromise legal and social norms which protect them because of their female biology? an awful lot of women don't share your concerns. some do - they are on this thread - but not all do, and you need to let other women decide how to feel for themselves. a man wanting to live as a women doesn't bother me. a man being violent and abuse does bother me, whether they want to be a woman or not. the fight here against too many men being violent and abusive is being lost because of the sort of behaviour shown by a small minority of women on this thread. you are making things worse, not better.

[quote thisisawful]@dickkerrladies actually i think it was because she defined women as people who menstruate. it was somewhat thoughtless as lots of women born women don't menstruate for hormonal reasons so unfortunately she caused irritation for that reason too.[/quote]
Did she? I suppose that's one interpretation of her words, but not how I read it.

I have never had any trouble understanding that saying that women have periods is not the same as saying that only women who have periods are women so I guess that's why I didn't see it that way. After all, I was not menstruating whilst I was pregnant but I would never have assumed that I wasn't a woman because of it! That's a bit silly, isn't it?

actually i think it was because she defined women as people who menstruate. it was somewhat thoughtless as lots of women born women don't menstruate for hormonal reasons so unfortunately she caused irritation for that reason too.

Seriously??

You think those flinging vitriol at JK give a stuff about women who can’t menstruate for medical reasons?

Did DR mention these women??

No they use these women as fodder for their nonsense that trans identified males are women - when everyone since time immemorial - until yesterday- knows that they are not.

As a women your ego must be terribly fragile to think a transgender woman erases your dignity and identity or even concerns you?

Oh for God's sake. Read the thread. Read what women are actually saying. Get a grip on the actual issues here and engage with them. Because this patronising goading doesn't help anything or anyone.

Ally in the tweets, terf in the sheets
So true.

That’s a lot of cognitive dissonance he’s got going on. I wonder what makes him think his man’s views on the nature of womanhood are relevant or welcome anyway...?

And just like everyone else, Professional health care bodies do perfectly well know what sex is actually Dan, otherwise we’d all need to be very worried going to the doctor’s

I am so angry this morning. I feel helpless but have tried to be proactive and have written a postcard in support of JK Rowling to her agents and a cross one to Daniel Radcliffe’s agents. It’s a drop in the ocean but at least I feel I’m doing something.

At 54, I'm pretty sure JK knows that women are not only people who menstruate.
But the only people who menstruate are women.

@michelleoftheresistance you just popped onto this thread to do some general head girling for no particular reason or purpose. Yes, you're a very very virtuous person. Point made. Cookies awarded. Ffs really?

Yes, if you are female and you don't menstruate, there is a medical reason for that. There are loads of reasons for it. It might be that you don't have a uterus, it might be that you are on hormonal contraception, it might be that you have had certain drugs such as chemotherapy, it might be that you have a medical condition, it might be that you have an eating disorder that has messed with your cycle, it might be that you have been through the menopause. There are lots of reasons why any particular female might not menstruate. None of those mean you are not a woman, and JK Rowling never said anything otherwise.

If you are male there is literally only one single reason why you don't menstruate.

you need to let other women decide how to feel for themselves

And so do you.

No one is arguing that any woman who wants to use mixed sex spaces and believe TWAW shouldn't do so.

What they are saying is that females who need biological sex to remain a recognised thing, and for female ONLY spaces to continue to exist, should be equally respected in their needs.

Oh look, they’ve arrived. Took till page 30 of the old thread. Only took till page 12 on this one.

I haven't RTFT, but I can't be the first person to think how much I look forward to seeing Daniel R in a relationship with a transwoman. That's transwoman. Not trans woman, as there is no such thing.

bbyj2019, if you truly think it's about ego, you haven't been paying attention.

She did not define women as people who menstruate. Honestly, if you TRAs could learn to fucking read we wouldn't be in this mess

*Seriously??

You think those flinging vitriol at JK give a stuff about women who can’t menstruate for medical reasons?*

There were many responses on twitter which are not abusive to anyone making this point.

she defined women as people who menstruate. it was somewhat thoughtless as lots of women born women don't menstruate for hormonal reasons

I think my favorite part of this particular very silly argument is that it implies that Rowling, who is a mother, thinks that she herself stopped being a woman while she was pregnant. And then became one against afterwards.

It's just hogwash and I think the people coming out with it know that.

Seriously??*

*You think those flinging vitriol at JK give a stuff about women who can’t menstruate for medical reasons?

There were many responses on twitter which are not abusive to anyone making this point.

Thanks Dan for telling me what a woman is. I mean, you'd clearly know better than me.

Can someone show me one apparently transphobic comment on this thread which remotely compares to those vitriol fuelled comments aimed at JKR which are on the twatter screen shot provided up thread?

Seriously??

You think those flinging vitriol at JK give a stuff about women who can’t menstruate for medical reasons?

There were many responses on twitter which are not abusive to anyone making this point.

thisisawful

What was it about a women speaking about biological reality that prompted you to post on Mumsnet for the first time today?

not burdening others with your uncomfortable emotions

Mummy isn't meant to have emotions. Mummy is meant to be the Cosmic Boob, providing sustenance and comfort and never, ever having needs of her own. Baby gets very angry when baby realizes that mummy has a life outside of caring for baby.

@thisisawful

• how was what JKR said an "attack" - how is what anyone is saying on this thread "an attack"? How is it rude to refer to biological reality and women's rights being based on that biological reality?

an awful lot of women don't share your concerns. some do - they are on this thread - but not all do, and you need to let other women decide how to feel for themselves. a man wanting to live as a women doesn't bother me. a man being violent and abuse does bother me, whether they want to be a woman or not. the fight here against too many men being violent and abusive is being lost because of the sort of behaviour shown by a small minority of women on this thread. you are making things worse, not better

How can you protect women from male violence if you cannot define women? Exactly how do you protect a group of people if that group of people cannot have a definition all of its own?

For example, if a woman is defined to include someone with a penis - how do you provide women with refuges where there are no people with penises?

It's not just that he denies her opinion, but then apologises on her behalf for it! Brings her lifetime work into it, the work that gave him his fame and fortune. Perhaps this is less about his care for trans people and more his worry that she's destroyed his meal ticket. It's not like he's exactly set the world alight after the HP films.

Yes this, it drips from every word. How dare he apologise for what she said?

TBF, my periods didn't come back for around 18 months after giving birth, so I wasn't a woman for quite a long time. I mean, it was most likely because of all the milk coming out of my breasts but I'm sure that's totally unrelated, right?

@Michelleoftheresistance actually no one is telling you what to feel or not feel, and i am not being rude and insulting to you either - you are being rude to me not the other way round. My objection here is not how you feel, but how many prejudicial, rude and insulting comments there are on this thread.