Eddie Redmayne has written a private note to J.K. Rowling after he became concerned by the amount of "vitriol" aimed at the author in response to her comments abouttrans people.- During an interview with the Daily Mail, Redmayne, who is currently filming his third
Fantastic Beasts film, said the abuse Rowling has received is "absolutely disgusting." - Redmayne, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2016 for his performances as the Danish painter and
transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, also said that he has many "trans friends and colleagues" who are constantly "having their human rights challenged around the world and facing discrimination on a daily basis," which he finds "equally disgusting." - In June, Redmayne told Variety that he disagreed with Rowling's comments on the trans community, saying: "Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid."
Eddie Redmayne has written a private note to J.K. Rowling after he became concerned by the amount of "vitriol" aimed at the author in response to her comments about trans people.
During an interview with the Daily Mail, Redmayne, who is currently filming his third "Fantastic Beasts" film, said the abuse Rowling has received is "absolutely disgusting."
However, Redmayne, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2016 for his performances as the Danish painter and transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, said that he has many "trans friends and colleagues" who are constantly "having their human rights challenged around the world and facing discrimination on a daily basis," which he finds "equally disgusting."
He told the Mail: "Similarly, there continues to be a hideous torrent of abuse towards trans people online and out in the world that is devastating."
J.K. Rowling has been on the receiving end of several allegations of transphobia since June after she challenged a magazine article that used the phrase "people who menstruate," resulting in a thread of tweets in which she argued that "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased."
Rowling followed these tweets up with a lengthy post blog post in which she elaborated on her "gender critical" views. The blog post, however, was quickly criticized by LGBTQ advocacy groups and medical professionals for containing several scientific inaccuracies and perpetuating harmful stereotypes about trans people.
Furthermore, earlier this month it was reported that Rowling's new novel, "Troubled Blood," centers on a cisgender male serial killer who fetishizes women's clothing — a decades-old transphobic trope — and in one instance in the book, the killer disguises himself as a woman to trick a female victim.
Redmayne, 38, had initially been amongst the group of leading actors connected to the "
In June during an interview with Variety, Redmayne responded to Rowling by saying: "Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have been trying to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process."
He continued: "As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand.
"I disagree with Jo's comments Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it's time to let them do so."
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