Voldemort actor defends JK Rowling amid transgender row — RT Games & Culture
JK Rowling is not a « obscene far-right fascist », actor Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, said as the author continues to face backlash over his stance on transgender issues.
Speaking to The New York Times over the weekend, the actor said the abuse directed at Rowling had been « repugnant » and « appalling, » and noted the positive impact of his books.
“Rowling wrote these great books about empowerment, about young people discovering themselves as human beings,” Ralph told the outlet. « It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally-centered human being. »
Fiennes said that although he « can understand a point of view that might be angry at what she says about women », he pointed out that Rowling is not someone « obscene fascist, ultra-right. »
« It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel like I’m a woman and I want to be able to say I’m a woman’ the actor said, noting that he understands where the author is coming from, even though he himself is not a woman.
Rowling, a self-described feminist, found herself at the center of the transgender debate two years ago after she published an essay criticizing gender ideology and expressing concerns that biological men were invading female-only spaces. In response, the author was accused of being a « fascist » and « transphobic ».
While most of the actors who have worked on the Harry Potter films have since joined in condemning Rowling, Fiennes is one of the few to have defended the author. In March 2021, the actor told The Telegraph that he « can’t understand the vitriol directed at her, » and he considers « This age of accusation and the need to condemn the irrational. »
« I find it disturbing the level of hatred that people express about opinions different from their own and the violence of language towards others », Fiennes said.
Earlier this month, Rowling also spoke out against Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s plan to allow almost anyone to legally change their gender without the need for a medical diagnosis. The author argued that this would allow « predatory men » who have not undergone sex reassignment surgery or hormone treatment to freely enter female-only spaces, such as locker rooms, hospital wards and prison cells.
Rowling condemned Sturgeon as a « destroyer of women’s rights » and warned that responsibility for any sexual assault, voyeurism, harassment or rape resulting from these new rules would lie entirely with the Scottish parliament. Sturgeon responded by saying that everyone has the right to express their views however they wish.
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