Eddie Redmayne Slams JK Rowling, Says It's 'Culturally Imperative' To Respect Transgender People

Eddie Redmayne has criticized J.K. Rowling for her anti-transgender statement on social media.

The best-selling author, who is known for writing the famous “Harry Potter” books, received a lot of backlash for her controversial statement on transgender people. Taking it to Twitter, Rowling reacted to an article called "Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate." She noted that those individuals are called "women."

Redmayne, who has worked with Rowling in the “Harry Potter” spin-off movie “Fantastic Beasts,” has come out in support of the trans community and expressed his displeasure on what the famous writer said about them.

In a statement given to Variety, the 38-year-old star revealed that he completely “disagrees” with what the author said on social media and insisted that non-binary identities are valid. The “Theory Of Everything” actor further stated that giving “respect” to the transgender community is really important.

He also explained that he has been learning and educating himself about the community for quite a while now.

“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,” Redmayne said.

Interestingly, the Academy Award-winning actor portrayed the character of a trans woman in Tom Hooper’s “The Danish Girl.” The film chronicles the journey of an artist named Gerda Wegener (played by Alicia Vikander) who asks her husband Einar (played by Redmayne) to pose as a female model for a painting.

But things take a different turn when dressing up as a female reignites Einar’s suppressed identification.

The story was based on the life of Lili Elbe, a Danish transgender woman who was among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery.

Later in the statement, Redmayne explained that his transgender friends and colleagues are “tired” of constant questioning and just want to live their lives “peacefully.”

“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 is time to let them do so,” Redmayne said.

A couple of days ago, Daniel Radcliffe also criticized the author and urged people to support the transgender community and not invalidate their identities or further harm them. Radcliffe also issued an apology to “Harry Potter” fans who were hurt by Rowling’s tweets.