Like Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets released in theaters, the controversy over Harry Potter and fantastic beasts Creator JK Rowling’s anti-trans opinions continue to swirl.
Rowling has repeatedly expressed anti-trans sentiments. In 2020, she released a a slew of anti-trans tweets, which she followed up with an essay posted on her website. “This is not an easy piece to write, for reasons that will soon become clear, but I know it is time to explain myself on a matter shrouded in toxicity. I write this without any desire to add to this toxicity,” she wrote in the essay, before elaborating on “five reasons to be concerned about the new trans activism and decide I need to talk about it.”
Rowling’s opinions have drawn an outpouring of backlash, and even those involved with the Wizarding World franchise have spoken out against her. Below are comments that fantastic beasts the stars made in response to Rowling’s anti-trans statements.
Eddie Redmayne believes that “respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative”.
The first one fantastic beasts The actor who spoke out against Rowling was Eddie Redmayne, who stars in the franchise as wizard and “magizoologist” Newt Scamander. In an exclusive statement to Variety in June 2020, Redmayne said, “Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have tried to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process.”
He continued: “As someone who has worked with both JK Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to be clear on where I stand. I disagree with [Rowling]comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid. I would never speak for the community, but I know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identity, which too often results in violence and abuse. They just want to live their life peacefully, and it’s time to let them.
Katherine Waterston said “you can’t be a feminist if you’re not for everyone’s human rights”.
Actress Katherine Waterston, who plays the witch Tina Goldstein in the fantastic beasts frankness, also expressed his disapproval of the Harry Potter author’s views.
In August 2020, Rowling returned her Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope award to her after the foundation’s president expressed “dismay” at the author’s “deeply disturbing transphobic tweets and statements.” The next day, by The IndependentWaterson published a Guardian op-ed to her Instagram story with the caption, “Trans women pose no threat to cis women, but we pose a threat to them if we make them outcasts.” Waterston circled salient quotes in the essay, including “…sorry, you can’t be a feminist if you’re not for everyone’s human rights, especially the human rights of other women” and ” When there is so much real violence against women, it’s a sad waste of time to focus on the imagined violence, maybe it could theoretically happen,” among other things.
Waterston elaborated on his message in an interview with The Independent in July 2021. “Because I was associated with fantastic beasts, it seemed important to me to communicate my position. We wondered if they could be lumped together with other people’s opinions by association,” she said.
Jude Law believes that “respectful dialogue is where change lives”.
fantastic beasts‘ Albus Dumbledore, played by actor Jude Law, has yet to issue an isolated statement about Rowling, although he made a general comment when asked about the author’s tweets in an interview with USA Today.
“I’m a big believer in appreciating, understanding, learning, and keeping an open dialogue that makes everyone feel comfortable and everyone is included,” Law said in the interview from September 2020. “Boycotting or withdrawing support from someone online who has offended is understandable and can indeed be effective, but it can also prevent people from listening to each other. I like to think that it is in a respectful dialogue that change lives.
Dan Fogler wrote that “LOVE is the most powerful magic.”
Actor Dan Fogler, who plays Jacob Kowalski in the fantastic beasts movies, released his own statement via Twitter, saying, “Here are my thoughts of cisgender white Jewish men on transgender equality.”
“In an already difficult time in history, I believe it’s important to encourage everyone to embrace openness, inclusion and love. If someone tells you they’re a man, a woman or someone of any gender, she deserves to be treated with respect and support, regardless of her outward appearance. It really is no one’s place to label or classify a other person. So you think you are,” the actor wrote in an on-screen statement. He then thanked Rowling for “creating the role of a lifetime for me” before adding, “The LOVE is the most powerful magic and it cannot be contained.”
Warner Bros. Pictures expressed support for inclusiveness, but did not specifically name Rowling.
Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the Wizarding World franchise (including the original Harry Potter movies) also released a statement in June 2020, but did not directly address Rowling or her views.
“The events of the past few weeks have reinforced our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues,” a Warner Bros. representative said. in a statement to Variety. ‘Warner Bros.’ position on inclusivity is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our business and to our audiences around the world.
The statement continued, “We deeply appreciate the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves by sharing their creations with all of us. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and promote understanding in all communities and people, especially those we work with and those we reach through our content.
A part of fantastic beasts‘ The cast and crew have yet to comment.
While several people involved with the franchise have responded to Rowling’s comments, not everyone has expressed their thoughts. Since April 2022, fantastic beasts actors Ezra Miller and Alison Sudol (who play Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore and Queenie Goldstein, respectively), as well as director David Yates, have yet to comment publicly, according to Bustle reporting.
