A major U.K. Supreme Court decision was made regarding the transgender community. The court recently ruled that transgender women were not legally defined as real women. This decision against the trans community was partially funded by J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Now a surprising reaction to this situation with the trans community has been made by an actor from the upcoming Harry Potter TV series who will be playing Snape.
Casting is currently underway on the high-concept HBO series which will once again adapt J.K. Rowling’s iconic book series for live-action. Black actor Paapa Essiedu was announced to be portraying Professor Severus Snape in the new adaptation, a decision that was met with some backlash as a result of the character previously being played by white actor Alan Rickman.
Now Essiedu is finding support from the LGBTQ community as revealed by his decision to sign a trans rights letter with numerous other actors. As shared via Deadline, many networks and major names were called out in an effort to get support for transgender people. With Essiedu getting involved, knowing that he’ll be playing a major role in the Harry Potter series, it’s definitely one way to throw shade at Rowling.
The letter signed by Essiedu reads as follows:
“The Supreme Court’s ruling that, under the Equality Act, ‘woman’ is defined by biological sex, states that ‘the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man’. We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people living in the UK.”
The letter continues:
“Film and television are powerful tools for empathy and education, and we believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds. This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history.”
Of course, the Harry Potter franchise is finding itself in a very complicated position at this moment in time. The brand was once universally loved but after Rowling’s controversial comments against the transgender community went viral, it has continued to sour the goodwill of fans. Both fans and previous cast members have expressed their disappointment with Rowling, and many fans are boycotting the brand as a result, even trying to get actors to quit before they have an opportunity to work on the HBO series.
Ultimately, we’ll have to see how this situation pans out. For now, though, we certainly know which sides J.K. Rowling and Snape actor Paapa Essiedu are taking in this situation regarding the trans community. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.