Evanna Lynch on JK Rowling

[saltedcaramelchocolate]

www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/harry-potters-evanna-lynch-jk-rowling-has-always-advocated-vulnerable/

"In 2020, Harry Potter author JK Rowling tweeted an article referringring to "people who menstruate” and wrote: "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

Three days later - following an intervention by Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played Harry Potter in the film adaptations of her novels - Lynch posted a lengthy response.

"I won't be helping to marginalise trans women and men further,” she wrote, adding: "I think it's irresponsible to discuss such a delicate topic over Twitter through fragmented thoughts and I wish Jo wouldn't… That said, as a friend and admirer of Jo, I can't forget what a generous and loving person she is.”

" I ask Lynch, as someone who loves people on both sides of the gender debate, if she is any wiser on how to bring the two together. She takes a big intake of breath.

"I was very naive when I was dragged into that conversation,” she said. "I didn't even know there were two sides. I had a view of, like, good and bad. I do have compassion for both sides of the argument.

"I know what it was like to be a teenager who hated my body so much I wanted to crawl out of my skin - so I have great compassion for trans people and I don't want to add to their pain.

"I understand being too triggered to be able to have a conversation. If you put me in a room with one of my doctors who treated me in the past, I'd kick off. I'd want to yell at them.

"I do also think it's important that JK Rowling has been amplifying the voices of detransitioners. I had this impulse to go: 'Let's all just stop talking about it' - and I think probably I'm a bit braver now about having uncomfortable conversations.”

Evanna played the part of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies.

"I know what it was like to be a teenager who hated my body so much I wanted to crawl out of my skin - so I have great compassion for trans teenage people and I don't want to add to their pain.

What is notable in that article is the repetition of "I" all the time. All teenage people feel like that. Teenagers will latch on to the latest explanation for the sense of unease into the metamorphosis of adulthood. As has been said many times here, it used to be anorexia.

Self centredness is a massive problem. Go outside and think about something other than yourself.

Today feeling very very cross about the stupidity of the society that we have produced. I know I am lacking in empathy, compassion, and everything else and should be sent to the wall. Whatever!!!

Noticing detransitioners and their voices is important though. I've not seen that mentioned before among the younger ones in this debate. She'll get there. She's almost there - that puberty is challenging for most of us.

I think a lot more will get there following the Barnes book and the prison debacle.

This has been out there for ages, no? Also a little (ha) ungrateful of her, given that Rowling basically hand-delivered her the role of Luna Lovegood after helping her through anorexia via letters. She owes more to Rowling than most of the cast and yet...

I like Evanna. She was a far better actor than the main three in the series, and she seems like a much braver and more intelligent person. I hope she doesn't get shit for this.

I read that article and thought she came across very well tbh.

I'm not sure why you missed out the last few paragraphs

"She says she was shocked by the backlash against Rowling “especially when she wrote her essay [revealing experiences in her unhappy first marriage]. I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.”

Lynch, who sent Rowling a copy of her 2021 memoir, says she will “always defend her character” and would happily work on Potter projects again: “These books formed me and JK Rowling inspired me. She inspires me still.”

She's basically saying her original thoughts a few years ago were along the automatic "be kind" but she has since thought about it in a lot more detail. Given the absolute shitstorm she received last time when she said all the "be kind" stuff but didn't go far enough for the TRA I think it's pretty brave of her to essentially double down on her support of JKR.

The poster saying its all about "I I I" makes a fair point but isn't that how we all contextualise our experiences? In that article she talks about her own experience/preconceptions around the union/republican divide in Ireland as well as her anorexia...to some extent she has had a bit of wider life experience than the other HP child stars who basically came from middle class homes and then grew up on film sets so it seems to have given her a bit of a wider perspective and she's at least trying to think outside the box and put things into a bit of wider context.

Why does how nice people are on 'each side' have anything to do with whether people can change sex? It's frustrating to me the things that get brought in to obscure what is the core issue. When you say that TW are literally W, what do you even mean? No-one can ever say.

Regardless, I think that is a bit of an acknowledgement that people have been ignoring the issues for personal reasons, which is a human thing, but obviously can't continue when you're trying to write laws and policies distinguishing men from TW.

Today feeling very very cross about the stupidity of the society that we have produced. I know I am lacking in empathy, compassion, and everything else and should be sent to the wall. Whatever!!!

Actually I'm annoyed at the pablum collective definition we are having foisted on us, of 'empathy, kindness, and compassion'. It's easy to chant trite mantras like 'be kind' and bang little hearts on everything and feel good about ourselves.

Empathy is hard. It can be painful to feel for others, if one is genuinely open to doing so.
Kindness is hard. It requires honesty, bravery and tenacity.
Compassion is hard. It requires forgiveness, and an abnegation of the self that is antithetical to a self-obsessed society.

What is happening is a general cheapening of kindness to mean 'saying nothing uncontentious' and 'avoiding conflict'.

Bullshit. Kindness in some cases means taking action, standing up in the face of authoritarianism, and sometimes means entering a fray.

Non-violence itself is misunderstood. It's very far from being the softy fluffy and easy option.

We need to discuss 'kindness' in terms of difficult moral questions, in the context of discussions on euthanasia, abortion, and other contentious and difficult issues. Not in terms of 'which colour flag do you want to wave today'.

Haven't been able to read the full article. She sounds like she's completely convinced of JKs reasoning however, whilst maintaining a professional media shine (given the shit she could get.)

I still think mentioning detrans is v important. They deserve all the attention and support pride gives to others and yet are vilified. They unravel the charade for many which is why the TRAs are so keen ti dismiss them.

who exactly is the most vulnerable is a v good point to put to people.

Great post Arabella.

JK Rowling is the one being far kinder to half the population that historically (and still in many countries) does not have human rights.

It's basically a form of coercive control at a societal level I feel to try and brainwash everyone into thinking being kind means acquiescing to the demands of a small number of men, whilst women and girls are shown no empathy, kindness or care at all.

At the very simple level: if many women don't want men in women's spaces and some men (who say they feel like women) want to use those spaces, why is it 'kindness' to ignore the majority for the sake of the minority?

It's not.

I think Evanna is finding her inner Gryffindor now, and it's good to see.

Radcliffe and Watson are hereby relegated to Slytherin!

She hasn't said anything 'wrong,' except to suggest that stuff like this shouldn't be discussed on twitter. That's the way of the world now.

Yeah. Girls from an early age have the 'be kind' message pushed at them. As adults, when people appeal to 'kindness', they're generally not directing that message at males.

Good for her. She sounds intelligent and thoughtful. She admits that she jumped in with her original comments about JKR without understanding the issue and now realises there is more to it. She's a young actress building a career and has to be VERY careful about what she says. I think she's being as open as she can be on this topic and it's a far cry from what the other younger Harry Potter cast have said.

What is happening is a general cheapening of kindness to mean 'saying nothing uncontentious' and 'avoiding conflict'.

Bullshit. Kindness in some cases means taking action, standing up in the face of authoritarianism, and sometimes means entering a fray.

This is a really important point you make Arabella, and I thought Evanna almost got there in that interview with the last part (my bold). It was quite a brave thing to say.

I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.”

Given that Voldemort, Draco Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange have supported JKR throughout and its the weak trio of Harry Ron and Hermione who have criticised her I think you mean Evanna is finding her inner Slytherin!

“The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable“

that is a vey important issue. The TRA lobby pedal the “most marginalised and vulnerable” in society line all the time. Ie no debate over that statement. They are not a homogeneous blob and while some are marginalised and vulnerable, many aren’t and in the meanwhile the rights of vulnerable women and the safeguarding of children have been swept away and trampled over

Love this post. Arabella, thank you

Agree that a few years on, she's standing firm on her original view and I'm so pleased she has in no uncertain terms made it clear she won't jump on the witch hunt bus.

Maybe she could have said more however I get the need in that industry to still want to protect herself from any backlash. As we know women who speak up don't get a pass

I didn't know about her eating disorder. That must have been tough. But also gives credibility when she says she gets what it feels like to hate the skin you were born in.

Always bloody loved Luna. Wonderfully bonkers 😊

I can't remember much about HP plot - wasn't Snape, head of Slytherin, considered to be a mean nasty arsehole but he was still looking out for Harry all along, even though he didn't like him much, and even when it made him look bad/put him in danger?
I can't remember how it all ended so I'm not 'aligning myself with Snape' btw... nor am I bankrolled by the dementors or whatever it was...

“The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable“

there is absolutely no need for a Most Vulnerable Olympics, and I'm sure people who live with disabilities are giving a hollow laugh when they see tripe like that posted.

Lynch has an interesting opinion. Given how she got the part, and the interest JKR showed in a vulnerable young woman, it is not surprising that she has come to realise the whole situation is much more nuanced than "everyone wants us to die, literal genocide"

It is a sick reflection of our society that we have conpetitions as to who is the most vulnerable.

I thought good for her - she is thinking and developing and is repeatedly very kind about JKR as a person. I don't have to agree with everything she says. She is standing up in public in view of her woke colleagues and woke acting employers. I thought she has guts reading the interview.

And as to the number of times she uses I - she is being interviewed about herself not just about the GC stuff and why should she not. Men use I, I, I all the time - why, when a woman is interviewed, should she have to make it all about someone else or something else. She is entitled to her moment and to speak about herself most of all.

There's an archived copy here: archive.ph/UJ8S9

I thought it was a good article and wouldn't want to be too picky about the exact wording she used - clearly her heart is in the right place.

@dimorphism we don't want them in slytherin
I always thought that she had tried (but failed) to walk a reasonable line between publicly demonising jk and supporting her as a person whilst disagreeing with her opinion in the clumsy way people in their 20s often do. She paid a high price for that attempt. However I suspect that with age, experience and talking to detransitioners she has come to realise that she is one of them only because she is that bit older she was caught in the social contagion of anorexia rather than that of ROGD. I have seen this happen in real life and it horrifies them just how close they came and completely changes their perspective on it. Having been through the tra/gc ringer already its extremely brave of her to come back and basically double down on team jk/gc and I applaud her for it.
This is how the golden bridge system works the first ones over are always the fence sitters and if they are seen to be supported and welcomed more will come over and start to bring the more entrenched then a trickle becomes a flood until all that is left on the otherside are the extremists who deserve everything that's coming to them.
We need more bridges it's how we win this