Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular character in all eight Harry Potter movies, apologized to fans of the franchise for J.K. Rowling's transphobic comments. Radcliffe was cast in the very first movie of the franchise, 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, at the age of 10, alongside actors Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who would play Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively. The trio were the heart of the Harry Potter movies, which adapted Rowling's seven-book series into an eight-film saga that was massively successful, helping to solidify the franchise as a juggernaut of the entertainment industry.

For her part, Rowling has gone on to help shepherd the Harry Potter prequel movie series for Warner Bros., which kicked off with 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She penned the script for both the 2016 movie and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and is working on the as yet untitled Fantastic Beasts 3. However, Rowling has recently come under fire - not for the first time - for transphobic comments on Twitter, which have now prompted Radcliffe to issue a statement to Harry Potter fans.

Related: JK Rowling Anti-Trans Controversy Explained: What The Harry Potter Author Said

On The Trevor Project website, Radcliffe released a statement on Rowling's recent transphobic tweets, in which the author implied transgender women are not women and to recognize trans women is to erase the experiences of women. In Radcliffe's statement, he wrote, "Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people." The actor went on to offer resources to educate readers about transgender and nonbinary folks. He concluded by speaking directly to Harry Potter fans, especially those harmed by Rowling's comments:

To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life - then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.

Harry Potter

This is not the first time Rowling has come under fire for transphobic tweets. In December 2019, the author tweeted in support of a researcher who was fired for transphobic tweets. (The researcher, Maya Forstater, tried to argue wrongful termination in court in the U.K., but a judge ruled against her.) Due to Rowling's personal beliefs, she's often called a TERF, which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist - a term for feminists who do not believe trans women are women. Since her tweets late last year, and especially in light of her more recent comments, Harry Potter fans have struggled with reconciling Rowling's transphobic stance with their love of the franchise. Others have argued Rowling's books weren't as progressive as some fans hold them up to be. For example, after Rowling's most recent tweets, Cho Chang trended on Twitter as folks pointed out the racist nature of the character.

Since Rowling has not apologized for her past statements nor her most recent tweets, it comes with some comfort that Radcliffe has stepped up to apologize to fans for her hurtful comments. Radcliffe's statement doesn't right the wrongs of Rowling's transphobia, and it's a far cry from Warner Bros. issuing a statement or taking measures to ensure Rowling doesn't do more damage to fans or the Harry Potter franchise's image. Still, Radcliffe taking a hard stance against Rowling's transphobia does offer some happiness for Harry Potter fans, even in the darkest of times, by shedding light on transgender rights.

Next: Why JK Rowling Keeps Changing (& Hurting) Harry Potter Canon

Source: The Trevor Project