Updated 29 December 2021 at 16:56 IST
Harry Potter actor Chris Rankin weighs in on JK Rowling's comments on trans community
Actor Chris Rankin, who played the role of Percy Weasly in the 'Harry Potter' movies shared his thoughts on JK Rowling's comments on the transgender community.
Another Harry Potter star has now come out and spoken against the comments by JK Rowling on the transgender community. Actor Chris Rankin, who played the role of Percy Weasly in the movies shared his thoughts on JK Rowling's comments on the transgender community and said, that the statements made were 'damaging'.
In the wake of Rowling's controversy, HBO Max and Warner Bros. decided not to include the author in the 20th Anniversary special reunion episode of Harry Potter. The trailer of the Fantastic Beasts 3 also downgraded the credit to screenwriter and producer J. K. Rowling and her name is hardly visible in the trailer.
Chris Rankin speaks against JK Rowling's comments on the transgender community
J.K. Rowling, the author of best selling fantasy series Harry Potter came under fire last year in June 2020 for the controversial tweets she shared about the transgender community. The author has also received criticism from Harry Potter stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne. Another actor from the franchise, Chris Rankin, reacted to the author's transphobic comments.
In an interview with Eastern Daily Press, the actor said, "I do a lot of work with charities that are LGBTQ+-focused and I raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust on a regular basis. A lot of my family are members of the community. It is a huge part of my life and I think, by saying that, you can probably guess where my allegiances lie in that respect. What is important to highlight is that, when a trans person says they are male or female, that is what they are and that is how we should treat them. It is damaging to them to say otherwise."
On June 6, 2020, Rowling retweeted an op-ed piece that discussed "people who menstruate", apparently taking issue with the fact that the story did not use the word women. Her tweet read, "‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure they're used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate." Rowling has continued to remain firm on her stance and has since then shared her thoughts on the trans community several times, which was deemed equally controversial.
Image: Instagram/@jkrowling_official/@cwrankin
Published By : Fengyen Chiu
Published On: 29 December 2021 at 16:56 IST