While most of the stars associated with the Harry Potter universe have been distancing themselves and speaking out against author J.K. Rowling's transphobia, it looks like Robbie Coltrane is coming to her defense...
The 70-year-old Scottish actor, who is most known for playing Hogwarts' beloved gentle-giant and groundskeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter film franchise, is standing by the controversial author who has been in and out of the news these past few months for using her platform as a bestselling author to share transphobic talking points and rhetoric.
"I don’t think what she said was offensive really. I don’t know why but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended," Coltrane said in a recent interview with the Radio Times when asked about the allegations of transphobia that are being pointed at Rowling. "They wouldn’t have won the war, would they? That’s me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just think, 'Oh, get over yourself. Wise up, stand up straight and carry on.'"
Coltrane's defense of Rowling is a far cry from his former Harry Potter castmates.
"Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are," Beauty and the Beast and Little Women star (and known LGBTQ+ ally) Emma Watson, who famously played Hermione in the Harry Potter film series tweeted. "I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."
Academy Award-winning Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne (who snagged an Oscar nom for his role in 2015's The Danish Girl) also stuck up for what's right, telling Variety:
"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. As someone who has worked with both JK 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."
And Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who famously played the boy who lived, wrote an open letter published by the Trevor Project (the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth) where he defended the trans community following J.K. Rowling's latest round of TERF-y, transphobia-laden tweets.
"Transgender women are women," Radcliffe wrote. "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. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm."
Coltrane's comments come on the heels of another controversy from earlier this week where Rowling's latest, upcoming novel Troubled Blood (published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith) is being accused of showcasing transphobic tropes for featuring a storyline where a cis man dresses up as a woman and goes on a murdering spree.
While Hagrid is one of our all-time fave Harry Potter characters, Coltrane's defense of Rowling is something we're definitely not big fans of...
