ADVERTISEMENTRenowned British actor, author and broadcaster Stephen Fry has labelled Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling a “lost cause” and stated that she has been “radicalised by TERFs” – the acronym that stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”.
The term is used by transgender activists against gender critics like Rowling, who has dedicated much of her online presence to defending her views while expressing transphobic views.
During the recording of the podcast The Show People, Fry, who previously narrated all seven Harry Potter audiobooks, said: “She has been radicalised I fear and it maybe she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her.”
As reported by The Daily Mail, Fry continued: “It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her I am afraid. I am not saying that she not be called out when she says things that are really cruel, wrong and mocking. She seems to be a lost cause for us.”
“I am sorry because I always liked her company,” he added. “I found her charming, funny and interesting and then this thing happened, and it completely altered the way she talks and engages with the world now.”
He continued by saying that Rowling’s “contemptuous” comments “add to a terribly distressing time for trans people.”
Stephen Fry spoke in the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court ruling in April that determined that ‘woman’ meant a biological female and not gender.
Lord Hodge said the five Supreme Court justices had unanimously decided that “the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.”
Many expressed fears that the ruling could put trans and non-binary people in danger. Stonewall’s chief executive Simon Blake said that the ruling “will be incredibly worrying for the trans community and all of us who support them.”
Meanwhile, Rowling celebrated the ruling by posting a picture of herself smoking a cigar on her yacht.
Fry’s recent comments have been met with a torrent of bile online…
… as well as some support, highlighting quite how divisive the issue remains.
Fry is not the only former Harry Potter star to speak out and criticise Rowling’s continued hateful rhetoric. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all spoken out against her controversial views.
Last year, Radcliffe told The Atlantic that Rowling’s views “make me really sad”, adding: “Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”
Watson expressed her support, stating: “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.”
Meanwhile Rupert Grint said: “I firmly stand with the trans community… Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”
Rowling previously said that she wouldn’t forgive the Harry Potter stars who have criticised her views. “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,” she wrote on X.
Earlier this year, Rowling reignited tensions with the actors by taking an indirect jab at Radcliffe, Watson and Grint. In March, she was asked: “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?”
Rowling replied: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
By contrast, Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the franchise, said he remains “grateful” to Rowling.
“I’m not really that attuned,” said Felton. “The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world. Here I am in New York. And I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, and she’s responsible for that. So I’m incredibly grateful.”
His comments sparked a wave of differing reactions – some applauded him for what they called a “classy response,” while others condemned his words as “atrocious,” “spineless,” and “disappointing.”
