Did Daniel Radcliffe take a jab at JK Rowling's views on LGBTQ community once again?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Daniel Radcliffe, an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community, recently moderated a group discussion with The Trevor Project for their new series 'Sharing Space', which is aimed to be a safe space for LGBTQ youth to share their experiences.
The 'Harry Potter' actor who moderated the discussion among six trans and non-binary youth called those who question the child transition "patronizing." Some fans speculated that the conversation was a dig at author JK Rowling, who has had very conflicting viewpoints on the trans community and has come under a considerable amount of scrutiny since. Continue reading to find out what Radcliffe had to say.
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Daniel Radcliffe indulges in panel discussion
During a conversation with six trans and non-binary individuals, the 'Harry Potter' actor noted that some people have a mildly dismissive yet well-meaning outlook when responding to young children who assert they are living with the wrong gender. "I'd love to hear from all of you about why we can trust kids to tell us who they are," Radcliffe stated at one point during the debate, inviting his audience to share their opinions on the subject of childhood transgenderism. Dayley, a guest, stated, “I don’t understand why I can’t just decide that I’m a girl.” They further added, “If it’s a ‘big decision’ to decide I’m a girl, then it’s a big decision to decide I’m a boy. It’s the same thing. There’s no age. You don’t have to be 18 to decide that, ‘Oh, I am who I am.'”
Another guest who goes by the name ‘Deity The Why’ said, “I think we don’t give children enough credit for coming into this world and having a sense of purity and understanding for themselves." Radcliffe replied, "We listen to so many people talk about trans youth and hear them talked about so often in the news, but very rarely do we actually hear from these youth directly.”
Did Daniel Radcliffe take a jab at JK Rowling?
In 2020, he released a statement – via the Trevor Project– responding to the 'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling’s comments about the LGBTQ community. In 2020, Rowling came under fire after she posted a series of controversial tweets about the transgender community. In her tweets, she showed explicit fear of trans people, particularly trans women, insisting they're an inherently dangerous threat to cisgender women. Radcliffe who has been a trans ally said at the time, “Some 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. 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.”
Radcliffe believes that people have theoretical grasp
During 'Sharing Space', Radcliffe made it clear that some individuals around the globe are not attempting to engage in the conversation about the trans community with good conscience, and that this is often due to individuals not being aware of a young trans person and having a theoretical idea about the same. Meteo-Luis, a trans man, responded to Radcliffe's remarks by stating that people have preconceived notions about the LGBTQ community, which is why the community or trans people feel it is their responsibility to educate the public and correct it.
Luis added that one aspect of this is displaying gender euphoria. He then went on to share his experience with the group by using a binder and crying because seeing oneself as they are is such a life-changing experience. Daniel also asked the panelists what they think cis and straight people must know or work on to be better allies. The participants mentioned compassion and working on “unlearning” what they previously knew.
It's difficult to say whether the episode was a dig at Rowling and many other people who oppose supporting trans people or if it was simply a safe space for LGBTQ youth to come forward and share their stories with the world. But it's pretty obvious that Radcliffe and Rowling do not share the same views.
Watch the first episode of 'Sharing Space' on YouTube.