Trans kids are sending Emma Watson drawings to thank her for supporting their rights
Transgender children are sending Emma Watson a wave of adorable drawings to say thank you for supporting their rights, after the Beauty and the Beast star and influential women’s rights advocate spoke out in favour of trans rights.
Last Thursday (October 18), the UN Women Goodwill ambassador shared a photo of herself wearing a “Trans Rights are Human Rights” t-shirt photo on social media, as proposed transgender rights reforms in the UK continue to face backlash.
Watson tagged transgender groups including children’s charity Mermaids in her message, sparking criticism from anti-transgender feminists in comments to the post and on online forums. But the negativity has been washed aside by the amazing response from trans kids.
The drawings were submitted by trans kids and their relatives from across the world, and shared on Twitter by blogger @FierceMum, the mother of a transgender girl.
Some of the drawings include tributes to Watson’s famous Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast characters.
A 9-year-old trans girl from Australia drew Watson as Hermione (@FierceMum)
A 7-year-old Finnish girl with a transgender brother drew Belle, Hermione and herself. (@FierceMum)
Others included rainbows and messages of thanks.
A 6-year-old trans girl in the UK drew a rainbow for Emma Watson. (@FierceMum)
A 14-year-old trans boy from the UK wrote a thank-you to Emma Watson. (@FierceMum)
A 6-year-old trans girl from Spain sent a message of thanks. (@FierceMum)
Others just took a more personal approach.
A 7-year-old trans girl from Australia drew her family. (@FierceMum)
Watson was blown away by the messages of support, posting a tweet to thank her fans on October 22 featuring the #WontBeErased hashtag—an expression of solidarity with transgender people used to protest leaked Trump administration’s plans to change the legal definition of sex to erase the notion of gender identity.
“#WontBeErased Thank you for these beautiful drawings!! #ProtectTransKids #TransRightsAreHumanRights,” Watson wrote in her message.
Mermaids was among those who reacted to Watson’s post, replying: “You have made so many children so very happy today. Thank you for standing up for trans kids. In a world where misinformation about transgender children runs rife, to have you as an ally lifting there voices is amazing!”
FierceMum, who keeps her family’s identity private due to online abuse, told PinkNews that her daughter is a big fan of Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast, who was “thrilled” when Watson backed trans rights.
She explained to PinkNews:”Our daughter wanted to thank Emma for her support… so we decided to share [her drawings].
“We told others in our parent support group that we were planning a Twitter thread, and let other support groups for trans children and their families, around the world.
“They loved the idea, and all wanted to say thank you too. We hoped maybe that people would see it but had no idea that Emma would share our children’s pictures herself. ”
She added: “These pictures have been seen by thousands of people all over the world and the response has been incredible. Thank you Emma, your support means so much.”
UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, actor Emma Watson (KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty)
Watson’s most recent box office success, the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast, previously faced censorship over LGBT+ content.
The Disney film was temporarily banned from release in Malaysia and several other markets after the director revealed a minor character was intended to be gay. The film was only permitted to release in full after Disney made clear there was no explicit LGBT+ content.
In 2017, Watson won the first gender-neutral Best Actor in a Movie prize at the MTV Awards.
“MTV’s move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone,” she said in her acceptance speech.
“To me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories.”
Watson added: “Empathy and the ability to use your imagination should have no limits.
“This is very meaningful to me, both to be winning the award and to be receiving it from you in such an inclusive, patient and loving way.”
