Actor James Urbaniak tells JK Rowling cis men don’t have to pretend to be trans to assault women: ‘War’s over, get out of your trench’
JK Rowling (John Phillips/Getty) and James Urbaniak (Tommaso Boddi/Getty)
Actor James Urbaniak delivered a stunning rebuke to JK Rowling after the author publicised her anti-trans views.
The American actor, who is known for his roles in The Office and Difficult People, slammed the Harry Potter author on Twitter after she published a lengthy essay on the topic and detailed her arguments on trans people using bathrooms.
“What the f**k are you talking about?” Urbaniak wrote, tagging Rowling in the tweet.
“Cis men are going to pretend to be trans to commit bad acts in the ladies rooms?
“Cis guys don’t have to pretend, any one of them can walk right in, do bad things and leave.”
He added: “War’s over, get out of your trench.”
.@jk_rowling Hi, what the fuck are you talking about? Cis men are going to pretend to be trans to commit bad acts in ladies rooms? Cis guys don't have to pretend, any one of them can walk right in, do bad things and leave. War's over, get out of your trench. pic.twitter.com/kPSGnxgNqD
— James Urbaniak (@JamesUrbaniak) June 11, 2020
JK Rowling has come under fire for publishing a lengthy essay detailing anti-trans views.
In a follow-up tweet, Urbaniak said: “I read some Harry Potter books to my kids years ago but I didn’t retain them, were they this hacky?”
He later tweeted: “J Karen Rowling.”
In Rowling’s essay, which she published Wednesday (June 10) on her own website, she wrote: “I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe.
“When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman … then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside.”
Elsewhere in the bizarre and wide-ranging article, the author suggested that she “might have transitioned” if she had been born 30 years later and conflated advancements in trans rights with Donald Trump, incels and porn.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and many more Harry Potter stars have come out in support of trans rights.
JK Rowling has been widely criticised by a number of high-profile Harry Potter stars over her comments.
Earlier this week, Daniel Radcliffe released a statement through LGBT+ charity The Trevor Project in which he expressed his support for trans rights.
“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,” Radcliffe wrote.
Longtime trans ally Emma Watson, who famously played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, responded to the controversy last night in a series of tweets.
“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,” the actor wrote.
“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.”
