Miriam Margolyes has weighed in on the heated debate surrounding JK Rowling’s views on gender identity, urging the transgender community to show more kindness—even as she admitted she doesn’t fully agree with the author.
The 84-year-old actress, best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, said Rowling’s stance on the “trans issue” can feel “too harsh.” However, she criticised the “fury” directed at Rowling from within the LGBTQ+ community. “I don’t like the fact that the trans community has reacted with such fury,” she said. “We should be gentle with each other.”
Rowling, 59, has faced widespread backlash for asserting that biological sex should define womanhood and for defending women-only spaces—positions some activists call transphobic. But Margolyes, a vocal LGBTQ rights supporter herself, suggested it’s unrealistic not to understand that women may feel unsafe in intimate spaces shared with biologically male individuals. “Women get scared if they’re in a situation where somebody with a penis could rape them,” she said. “We’re the ones that get attacked and raped more than blokes do.”
While speaking on the A Gay Old Time podcast, Margolyes said she’s met “adorable, gorgeous and brave” trans people and remains supportive of their rights. However, she believes some criticism has turned into bullying. “That’s one thing I will not have—being bullied,” she added.
She also echoed Rowling’s concerns over fairness in sport, stating: “I don’t think that people who have a man’s body should be playing sports with people who have a woman’s body. There should be another category.”
Margolyes’ comments add another layer to the rift among Harry Potter stars. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have publicly distanced themselves from Rowling, while others like Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter have stood by her.
Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, recently reiterated his support while promoting his return to the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage show. Meanwhile, Rowling herself has made it clear she won’t forgive the younger stars who, in her view, “cheered on the transitioning of minors.”
Calling for more nuance in public discourse, Margolyes concluded: “We’re not binary. We shouldn’t be nasty to people who don’t fit in the same box as us. Let’s nourish love.”
