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.”

I think that's a brilliant statement 👏

Where did you get that from? The article literally says that neither evanna nor jkr mentioned any connection during the audition process and she auditioned via an open audition. If you Google every other article shes done about how she got cast says the same thing!

I want to add something meaningful to this discussion, but now all I have in my head is the image of being bankrolled by dementors, which is making me giggle.

I think Evanna's comments the first time around were respectful and reasonable, and so they are again. She has behaved far more decently than any of the other young actors.

She's very thoughtful, even the first time around and more so now.

I think that's the thing I found hardest about all of the stuff around JKR, not that people disagreed with her or thought her mistaken (people often disagree about all sorts of things).

But that despite the ample evidence of her actions and views through the years and through her stories - people were so ready to believe utterly awful things about her and her intentions. They vilified her, ascribed views to her the complete opposite to those she had expressed and put her beyond the pale(pail?) of even being worthy of listening to and debating in good faith.

It has been pretty alarming, and as I read her say recently, a deliberate tactic to silence women who don't have her advantages.

I'm glad Lynch is speaking up for Rowling, I think it is the right thing to do but it does take courage to choose to enter/re-enter the fray. But it helps!

Agreed, Fukuraptor - it takes some courage even though the tide is now turning, especially for someone whose livelihood is in the (captured) arts sector. (Btw, you were right first time, it's "beyond the pale" - a pale being some kind of wooden fortification IIRC)

Evanna's always been more thoughtful than the others.

I'll never forgive Radcliffe's statement. Mansplaining little twerp. Makes me rage just thinking about it.

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

No, there really isn't, Evanna. Not when you consider material reality.

Children under 11, the elderly and infirm, and the disabled are always the most vulnerable in any society.

I don't know how we got to the point where certain types of able-bodied adults became labelled as more vulnerable than individuals who cannot feed themselves. Or walk. Or talk. Or dress themselves.

But just the fact that you are disagreeing with her statement proves there is disagreement!

She's saying there's disagreement which is an objective fact.
She's not saying the disagreement is valid or that one/either sides view is justifiable.

Its also a very good way to talk about ROGD. People can argue that she isn't a biologist, or a psychologist etc etc so how does she know that transition isn't the right thing. But she does know what it was like to be a teenage girl, and what it s like to grow into a woman and look back at yourself. I think most people on this board also know that. So she is 100% qualified to give her opinion on that (one of the times when "lived experience" is genuinely relevant).

I thought it was a lovely thoughtful interview

I suspect that she’s had a full change of heart but is being diplomatic. Not that you can be diplomatic with the TRAs- so many of them seem to think that JKR wants trans people dead.

I love Evanna and personally find her really brave. It’s hard enough for people to say anything normally and yet she is in the public . When she didn’t immediately denounce JK she was trolled horribly.

Actually you can be more middle ground and not think everything is black and white.

I don’t dispute it. Although it is a bit of an all or nothing debate.

Just googled Evanna . She is from Termonfeckin , County Louth.
All I know about that place is it was where the Irish Countrywomen's Association was Headquartered .
Hard to imagine them being ' captured'.

But then , Gaelic Sports are under siege so who knows.