Hermione actor Noma Dumezweni urges people to ‘educate themselves’ before wading into a conversation on trans rights
Harry Potter star Noma Dumezweni has responded to JK Rowling’s essay on trans people. (Getty)
Harry Potter actor Noma Dumezweni responded to JK Rowling’s essay on trans people by calling for people to understand why it has upset and angered the community and its allies.
Dumezweni, the Black British actor who originated the role of Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to much fanfare, was one of many stars of the franchise to weigh in on JK Rowling’s newly-emboldened stance against trans rights.
She took to Twitter shortly after the author posted a lengthy essay outlining her support for the “gender critical” movement, which trans people and allies have pointed out was riddled with inaccuracies.
Dumezweni had originally tweeted in support of reading the essay, “applauding what [she] saw as openness”.
“Then I felt the flood arrive in such quick time that I though, oooh s**t,” she explained. “I need to reread.”
https://twitter.com/MissDumezweni/status/1270783291281604611
After deleting her original message, Dumezweni admitted that she only felt educated on JK Rowling’s thoughts, and not on the position of trans people when it comes to their own rights.
“I’m confused,” she admitted.” I may not understand enough as I’m not in a lot of people’s shoes.”
Appealing for kindness and understanding on all fronts, she committed to learning more about trans rights from a trans perspective, and asked people to consider all views.
“I felt educated on her point of view. Which is what I ask people to do. Educate themselves – yet I have to do so much more on the trans side.”
She added: “My mantra last week was #dothework – well – I got to now #dothework.”
Noma Dumezweni joins Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and other Harry Potter stars in addressing JK Rowling’s trans comments.
Dumezweni had previously spoken out after JK Rowling’s late night Twitter rant about trans people.
Addressing her tweet “Dear Jo”, the actor reeled off a list of trans icons including Marsha P Jonson, Sylvia Rivera, Indya Moore, Isis King and Janet Mock.
“As I honour mine, and the trans friends in my life, I’ll defer to their lived experiences, not their erasure,” she wrote on June 7.
“And these are just the women! There is magic in listening. This [world] has stories for millennia. I know You Know all this.”
Signing off “with love”, she added the hashtag #TransRightsAreHumanRights.
Another Hermione, Emma Watson, has also leapt to the defence of the trans community.
“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,” Watston tweeted Wednesday night (June 10).
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter on screen, and Eddie Redmayne, who leads the Fantastic Beasts spin-off film series, have also come out in support of trans people.
