Daniel Radcliffe urges adults to let trans kids ‘tell us who they are’
Daniel Radcliffe said the public ‘very rarely’ hears from trans youth. (Twitter)
Daniel Radcliffe has demonstrated perfectly how to be an ally, by urging adults to trust the decisions trans kids make.
During a 20-minute discussion panel with a group of young trans people, the former Harry Potter star said that parents should “trust kids to tell us who they are”.
In association with The Trevor Project, Radcliffe heard the group explain the difficulties of transitioning in the current political climate.
One of them, 11-year-old trans girl Daley, said that her decision to transition at a young age doesn’t make her feelings any less valid.
“If it’s a big decision to decide I’m a girl, then it’s a big decision to decide I’m a boy,” she said. “There’s no age, you don’t have to be 18 to decide that. I am who I am.”
Daniel Radcliffe has been outspoken in his support of trans rights following comments made by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
In 2020, the actor wrote a letter apologising for the “pain” Rowling’s comments on gender identity had caused, adding: “Trans women are women.”
During the discussion panel, he said that the public “very rarely” gets to hear directly from trans youth.
“We listen to so many people talk about trans youth and hear them talked about so often in the news,” he said. “I’d love to hear from all of you about why we can trust kids to tell us who they are.”
He also addressed the “condescending” viewpoint that some think “it is a huge decision” to transition and that, as a result, young people aren’t ready to do so.
In response, one of the group members said that adults “don’t give children enough credit for coming into this world and having the sense of purity and understanding for themselves”.
They continued: “I definitely had that at a very young age, and I tried to express that a lot, but I grew up in a very stereotypically Christian family.”
After talking about being “different” to his mum, “she called my grandma and they prayed over me”, they said. “I was, like, seven.”
A 2022 survey conducted by The Trevor Project found that, on average, fewer than one in every three trans and non-binary children feels that their home is gender-affirming.
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