Harry Potter's Evanna Lynch latest to react to JK Rowling's controversial comments

In a recent interview with the Telegraph about her role in the new play Under the Black Rock by Tim Edge, Irish actress Evanna Lynch has reacted to the Harry Potter author's anti-trans comments. Talking about today's cancel culture and her growing up during the Northern Ireland conflict, she said:

I just don't feel comfortable with this idea that if you don't like what people are saying, you silence them. I do think the next step is violence, really.

JK Rowling's comments in 2020

A quick reminder: in June 2020, British author JK Rowling reacted to an article citing 'people who menstruate' and made several anti-trans comments in a series of tweets and an essay posted on her website. In her essay, the writer expressed 'deep concerns about the effect the trans rights movement has on children'.

The vast majority of Harry Potter actors have since spoken out against her views and have expressed their support to the trans and non-binary communities. Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the franchise, eventually joined her cast mates and tweeted:

I won’t be helping to marginalise trans women and men further, I think it’s irresponsible to discuss such a delicate topic over Twitter through fragmented thoughts and I wish Jo wouldn’t … That said, as a friend and admirer of Jo I can’t forget what a generous and loving person she is.

Backlash over her tweet was immense and thousands of Harry Potter fans have called the saga's actors who supported Rowling 'Wizards of Woke’ and accused them of betraying the trans community by defending the writer.

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Relationship between JK Rowling and Evanna Lynch

The very special relationship between the actress and the writer started when Lynch was just 11 years old. She wrote to Rowling, expressing her struggles with anorexia and how the Harry Potter books helped her. The author then wrote back to her, and there began a sincere friendship between the young girl and her ‘mentor’, as she calls Rowling.

When asked about her reaction to the global backlash against JK Rowling in a recent interview with the Telegraph, she said:

I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.

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How did other members of the cast react?

Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry Potter in the saga) was the first main actor to respond to Rowling's comments, in a blog for the LGBT+ charity The Trevor Project, he wrote:

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.

He has also addressed the numerous fans who felt their relationship with the Harry Potter universe has been tarnished:

If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, non-binary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life – then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred.

Millions of fans responded positively to the actor’s statement and have thanked him for reassuring them that their relationship with the wizard and his friends was not necessarily tarnished by the author’s comments.

Trans actor Harrison Browne responded to Radcliffe’s statement, saying:

In all seriousness, Daniel Radcliffe is saving lives with this statement. As a trans person, I used movies and books as an escape from my life and Harry Potter was one of those spaces I found refuge in. From one Harry to another… thank you.

Emma Watson (who played Hermione Granger in the franchise) also expressed her support to trans people in a tweet:

Rupert Grint, who played Ronald Weasley in the saga told US Weekly in June 2020:

I firmly stand with the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.

Among this seemingly universal denunciation of the author's comments, several Harry Potter actors such as Ralph Fiennes (who played Voldemort) and Helena Bonham Carter (who played Bellatrix Lestrange) have stood up for JK Rowling, and spoke out against the abuse she is receiving online, arguing that even though people do not agree with her opinion, this is no excuse to harass her online.

Sources used:

Telegraph: Evanna Lynch: ‘JK Rowling has always advocated for the most vulnerable members of society’

PinkNews: Harry Potter’s Evanna Lynch says cast ‘respect’ JK Rowling ‘even if they don’t like her beliefs’

The Trevor Project: Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Tweets on Gender Identity

US Weekly: What the ‘Harry Potter’ Cast Has Said About Where They Stand With J.K. Rowling Amid Controversy