Rupert Grint
(Picture: PA)Rupert Grint has said he felt a need to stand up for the transgender community after J.K Rowling garnered widespread criticism for her views on trans people.
In June 2020, Ms Rowling retweeted an op-ed piece that discussed “people who menstruate,” taking issue with the fact that the story did not use the word women.
She tweeted to her 14.5m followers: “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
The author then doubled down on her comments about transgender people, sharing an essay on Twitter alongside the caption “TERF wars.”
The novelist faced criticism from trans activists and fans with many, including Mr Grint, speaking out against the author.
The actor, who is best known for playing Ron Weasley in the film series based on Ms Rowling’s Harry Potter books, released a statement following the intense backlash the author faced in June.
In a recent interview with Esquire, the 32-year-old discussed his decision to speak out, saying that he felt he had a responsibility to do so.
He said: “I am hugely grateful [for] everything that she’s done. I think that she’s extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius. But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.”
Mr Grint said that while he was “not an authority” on the debate, he felt he had a responsibility to speak out as “silence is louder”.
“Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to. I mean, I don’t want to talk about all that… Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject.
“Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.”
Mr Grint, and his former co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, initially spoke out in support of transgender people following Ms Rowling’s comments last year.
Mr Radcliffe who played Harry Potter, said in a statement to the Trevor Project: “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.”
Emma Watson, who starred as Hermione Granger, tweeted: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”
