Harry potter star Evanna Lynch pleads for more kindness after JK Rowling’s ‘irresponsible’ anti-trans tirade
Evanna Lynch and JK Rowling attend a charity event on November 9, 2013 (David M. Benett/Getty Images for Lumos)
Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch has appealed for more kindness on Twitter in the wake of JK Rowling’s anti-trans tweets.
Rowling spent much of the weekend infuriating fans with anti-trans comments, insisting that “erasing the concept of sex” means there’s “no same-sex attraction” and “the lived reality of women globally is erased”.
The messages, only the latest display of anti-trans rhetoric from the author, triggered a condemnation from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe on Tuesday.
He has now been joined by Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood and is known for her enduring, warm connection with the Harry Potter fan community.
Evanna Lynch calls for kindness after JK Rowling’s ‘irresponsible’ tweets.
In a message to fans, she wrote: “I imagine that being trans and learning to accept and love yourself is challenging enough, and we as a society should not be adding to that pain.
“Feeling like you don’t fit in or aren’t accepted for who you are are the worst, most lonely feelings a human can experience and I won’t be helping to marginalise trans women and men further.
“I applaud the immense bravery they show in embracing themselves and think we all should listen to their stories, especially as it is Pride Month.”
https://twitter.com/Evy_Lynch/status/1270395418560606208
She continued: “Personally, I don’t think Twitter is the right place to have this very complex conversation and we should be reading articles and memoirs, listening to podcasts and having long-form conversations.
“I think it’s irresponsible to discuss such a delicate topic over Twitter through fragmented thoughts and I wish Jo wouldn’t.”
However, she also appealed for more kindness towards the author, adding: “As a friend and admirer of Jo I can’t forget what a generous and loving person she is. I am sad to see fans reduce Jo to her tweets and seemingly dismiss her incredible philanthropic work and her determination to help humanity.”
Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
The actress said that Twitter had become a “constant, toxic stream of people insulting and abusing each other and getting nowhere with each other,” adding: “We need to break the cycle of bullying and shaming others.”
Lynch continued: “I disagree with her opinion that cis women are the most vulnerable minority in this situation and I think she’s on the wrong side of this debate. But that doesn’t mean she has completely lost her humanity.”
Harry Potter actress: ‘We should all be in therapy, not on Twitter.’
She continued: “I know so well what it feels like to find solace and a sense of belonging, a sense of ‘You’re not too weird to fit in here’ from Harry Potter and how important that influence was in helping me accept myself as a young person.
“I’m so sorry to any trans people who feel that’s been taken away or that this community is no longer that safe place.
“But the Harry Potter world/fandom/community is literally made up of millions of people now and I, for one, will work to make it feel inclusive because trans women are women.”
She added: “I also think we should all be in therapy, not on Twitter tearing lumps out of one another. I hope everyone is taking space away from social media and prioritising their mental health throughout this already very challenging time when many of us are isolated from our loved ones, because it is a lot, and it isn’t going to get resolved here.
“We need to do the inner work. I’m sending my love out to the trans community especially at this time.”
