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Rupert Grint responds to J.K. Rowling’s transgender comments

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Actor Rupert Grint attends Apple TV+'s "Servant" World Premiere at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Actor Rupert Grint attends Apple TV+'s "Servant" World Premiere at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage)

Rupert Grint is the latest Harry Potter cast member to speak out about JK Rowing’s recent transgender comments.

Grint joined his fellow Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in admonishing Rowling, by releasing a statement to The Times, via BBC.

Read More: Eddie Redmayne opposes J.K. Rowling's transgender remarks

“Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment. I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers."

Rowling was instantly condemned last Saturday after she posted tweets criticising the phrase, “people who menstruate.” On Wednesday she released a lengthy blog post defending her position, which was instantly denounced, too.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: Author J.k. Rowling arrives at the RFK Ripple of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: Author J.k. Rowling arrives at the RFK Ripple of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Rowling wrote, “I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal [i.e. cisgender] girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman … then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.”

Not only were Rowling’s comments attacked, but the timing of them, too, as they came on the day of the biggest Black Lives Matter protests yet, and during Pride Month.

Read More: What J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Views Could Mean for ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise — and ‘Harry Potter’ Fans

It’s not just cast members that have called out Rowling, though, as Steve Kloves, who wrote seven out of the eight Harry Potter movies, released his own statement to Variety.

“Our diversity is our strength. In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that transgender women and men, and people who are non-binary, feel safe and accepted for who they are. It seems very little to ask.”