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

I@Pinklynx are you telling the TRAs that their vitriol should really be directed at the MEN who abuse and commit violence against them yes, yes, yes, yes, yes a million times yes. And bear in mind that not all trans people are anything to do with the trans activists. They aren't right. Nor is the abuse on here.

You think it's wrong but you come on a predominately female site to have a go at them. Where you choose to place the battle lines says a lot about you.

It's so easy to take the fight to women, we're used to male entitlement and having our rights trampled on. There are so many women with internalised misogyny who believe women can't really be in charge. But where's the fight being taken to men? Why aren't you telling the TRAs where they should be fighting and who they should be shaming for violence and abuse.That would benefit all people including TW who aren't TRAs and women. But deep down I wonder if their argument isn't really with men at all.

Mansplaining arrogant twat. A very average actor who only got where he is because of JK. I’m going through peri menopause at the moment, please don’t tell me men can be women because of feelz, biology bloody matters!

So we can expect him to start dating a trans woman then?

Twitter is so far removed from real life, it’s not funny. It is a far left bubble, seriously.

According to Twitter, HRC was going to win, and Labour was a shoo-in. Wrong and wrong. Because Twitter is a far left bubble. It is not real life.

Yes, sorry I should have posted the link to the full article. Thanks for doing that @littlbrowndog

Of course biology doesn't matter if you were born with a dick.

American news outlets are covering this from a predictably negative viewpoint, but I'm disappointed by the UK newspapers. The DM and the Guardian are both choosing to focus on DR's nonsense statement of inclusivity. I'm really pissed off that the cowardly Guardian stayed silent until this morning, and is now providing positive coverage to a man telling a well-read woman how to feminist correctly (written by a man, no less). I thought that they had turned a corner with the Suzanne Moore piece a few months ago, but clearly not. (PS Does anyone know how to complain to the guardian about their coverage?? I can't find the right email address)

I've read a lot of the arguments of trans women are women. They centre around quibbling the various 'definitions' of woman. Ie women have a womb, women are oppressed by men, women menstruate, women have babies. Born women don't always fulfil these categories so the categories are said to be meaningless and anyone can declare themselves a woman. Blah blah. That debate is what's going on with the Rowling/Radcliffe stuff atm.

What I have NEVER read is that women have a culture. A culture founded and grown in girlhood. A culture passed down from mother and older sisters and aunts to daughters. Example: remember when getting your first period was euphemised as 'becoming a woman'? The support that mothers provide to daughters at that time is a CULTURE. The talk among girls at that time is a culture, one that men don't get and never will. Childbirth and menopause talk and support is a culture. In some societies it is actually secret from men. Trans women can put on women's clothes, hormones and have surgery but never understand the hidden culture of women because they grew up as boys, and boys have their own culture. Trans women are therefore cultural appropriators. They may have facsimile bodies of women, and I wouldn't agree for a moment that they should be persecuted, or treated badly for it, but they are a category of their own. They have a unique dual perspective which should be valued, but they do not have the divine right to appropriate female culture.

My frustrations come from the silencing of women AND the mix up of sex and gender.

Mine too. Unfortunately my two daughters (in their 30s) both vehemently disagree with JKR while I believe she has been maligned for telling the truth quite simply and factually. There is nothing in what she stated that is anti trans.

I'm 72 so could this be a feminist generational 'thing'?
Why are (some) younger feminists anti those who are born of the female sex?
Why are they undoing all we have fought for the women movement all my life?
I can't discuss this with my daughters, especially during lockdown when we can't see each other, and it would just cause an enormous rift that we might not come back from.

All good zorro. Long as it’s out there. Or here 😂

Not read thread yet. But just seen this in the Daily Mail.

I really feel violently angry, why are the voices of women being stepped on like this? How dare Daniel Radcliffe propose to tell another woman (let alone one mostly responsible for his career) how DARE he tell her to shut up and get back in your corner woman, you don't know what a woman is????

My god. The arrogance.

It is breath taking. I better not say what I feel like doing, not to give anyone an excuse to allege nonsense.

Says the man = twat.

A bit like saying race doesn't matter when you're white ....

I cannot believe how this is ok? He apologised for someone else opinion? It is JK opinion so what gives him the right to come and mansplain. Yet everyone on twitter is cheering him.

If I was JK I be bloody furious.

If we had lost, we wouldn't be seeing any of this Twitter batshittery. It's unpleasant and it's frightening but the reason they are in such a rage is that they've lost control of the argument and they don't know what else to do.

He'd be nothing without her. I hope his words come back to haunt him. Little shit. Quite

[quote ThumbWitchesAbroad]@DisobedientHamster - I didn't mean the fact that women menstruate, I meant her tongue-in-cheek comment here:
" ‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
That's poking the bear [TRAs] a little.[/quote]
She is a writer. A writer by definition is interested in words, in the complexity of language, the subtle way language changes, the way language can be used to distort the truth, alter our perceptions, to subvert reality, to divert attention, to persuade us to change our attitudes and our behaviour.

We hear and read these changes every day, governments, advertisers, journalists all use language in attempts to change our thinking. Look at the way the government has used slogans and sound bites to control our behaviour over Covid. The language used to discuss race is another case in point. Just examples, I am not discussing the rights and wrongs.

It is important that we are aware of how we are being manipulated, and that we are able to challenge our manipulators. It is very clear that the trans communities are using language as a battering ram for their agenda for change, they are using language to shame, to threaten, to distort fact. If we allow them to continue to do this , and don't call them out on the way they are using language in steam rolling their opinions over the science, over women's rights and the rights of people to express opinions without being abused then we have only ourselves to blame when we find ourselves silenced.

More power to your keyboard JKR, thank you for being a watchdog for the way our language is being hijacked under our noses.

He has revealed how little he has in common with the character he played.
He has much to gain by coming out with this patronising, thoughtless guff. She knows each time she tweets in support of women and girls as a sex class, that she will have a pile on from the “suck my Lady dick you wizened old woman” type . She is the brave and true person out of the pair of them, the one with brains and the capacity for critical thought. He wants to be loved. She wants to do what is right. Compare and contrast.

The support that mothers provide to daughters at that time is a CULTURE.

I respectfully disagree.

I'm not interested in being part of a female culture. I don't need a period to be anything more than a period.

However, I suppose that just goes to show that we are a group of people with different beliefs, not just a hive mind.

What I have NEVER read is that women have a culture. A culture founded and grown in girlhood. A culture passed down from mother and older sisters and aunts to daughters. Example: remember when getting your first period was euphemised as 'becoming a woman'? The support that mothers provide to daughters at that time is a CULTURE. The talk among girls at that time is a culture, one that men don't get and never will. Childbirth and menopause talk and support is a culture. In some societies it is actually secret from men. Trans women can put on women's clothes, hormones and have surgery but never understand the hidden culture of women because they grew up as boys, and boys have their own culture. Trans women are therefore cultural appropriators. They may have facsimile bodies of women, and I wouldn't agree for a moment that they should be persecuted, or treated badly for it, but they are a category of their own. They have a unique dual perspective which should be valued, but they do not have the divine right to appropriate female culture.

If you are a girl 'you get the talk'.
If you are black 'you get the talk'

But women are privileged over transwomen and we oppress them. We should ignore what we are taught to protect us.

Who does that benefit cos it's not women.

Holding the view that TWAW and putting women - human females - into a sub category called "cis"women is almost a demotion, a relegation if you like.
Misogyny in its most obvious form.

Because if I was a woman who was going to lose my title to a male family member, I would change sex on paper and fight the in the courts to claim the title from when my father passed.

I can’t speak for Scotland, but the rules on Primogeniture in England remain that transitioning has no effect on inheritance - a first-born son remains the recipient of any titles even he he proclaims himself a woman and a first-born daughter does not get to outrank her younger brother by transitioning to male.

They know what a woman is, they know what rules and regulations they need to change to make their lives better and ours worse.

"We should ignore what we are taught to protect us."

Say that to black people and see how far you get.

Jonathan Ross has ALSO backtracked thanks to his daughters!
'Having talked to some people (OK,my daughters) re my earlier tweet, I’ve come to accept that I’m not in a position to decide what is or isn’t considered transphobic. It’s a wildly sensitive subject. Let’s keep talking.' [sic]

My daughters say I'm wrong but there's no way I'll backtrack in supporting JKR's comments.

I so agree andyoldlabour

My hackles rise every time I see 'cis' written. I am a straight woman. End of. Other women can be bi, lesbian, whatever but my sex and gender remain that of a woman.

I'm 72 so could this be a feminist generational 'thing'?

It's more difficult to pretend that sex is irrelevant when you have gone through the whole cycle of periods, childbirth and menopause.

I think it's really difficult as a young women to accept that these things will have an impact and that the things that protect your rights - access to medical care and birth control, legislation - can't be taken for granted.

If you look at something like women's pension rights, I imagine it's difficult for any young person to have much sympathy because they probably don't feel they are going to have any pension rights.

You need a bit of perspective to see that this is a structural change that specifically affects women, and that it is very likely that each generation of women will have their 'WASPI' fights, because men and women's lives are fundamentally different because of their biology.