Katherine Waterston, who plays Tina Goldstein in the Fantastic Beasts series, recently spoke out against J.K. Rowling and her transphobic tweets. As a star of the Harry Potter spin-off series, Waterston stated it “felt important to communicate my position” on trans lives in an interview with The Independent.
Last year when Rowling’s initial transphobic statements were made, Waterston took to Instagram, annotating an article from The Guardian that emphasized cis women are more of a threat to trans women than the other way around. In it, Waterston highlighted a section that stated, “Sorry, you can’t be a feminist if you’re not for everyone’s human rights, notably other women’s human rights.” If your feminism has exceptions to who classifies as a woman, then you’re not a feminist.
Waterston’s statements join the ranks of other Harry Potter stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Eddie Redmayne—all of whom support trans activism and rights. Unfortunately, Rowling’s statements have added to the controversy around the Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts, as the series was recently under fire for casting Johnny Depp while he was being accused of verbal and physical abuse by his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
While fans choose to separate their fandoms from the people who are involved in these magical worlds, it is difficult for trans people to do just that. The public statements made by Rowling left a negative and lasting effect on her trans fans and perhaps, damaged her personal reputation forever.