New Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu among hundreds of U.K. stars signing petition for trans rights

“We the undersigned film and television professionals stand in solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling on April 17. We wish to add our voices to the 2000+ signatories of the Open Letter from UK Writers to the Trans Community published last week and call upon members of our industry and cultural bodies to join us,” the letter reads (via Deadline), citing a similar missive signed by writers like Doctor Who‘s Russell T Davies, comedian Aisling Bea, Heartstopper‘s Alice Oseman, and Essiedu’s I May Destroy You boss Michaela Coel. 

“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.”

Some other Harry Potter alum (most of whom had the benefit of signing onto the job long before Rowling’s obsession with gender ideology became public) also signed the letter, notably Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them star Eddie Redmayne, and Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang in the original series. Many Harry Potter stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, have denounced Rowling’s views—views which obviously have real-world ramifications. But HBO has stood by Rowling and welcomed her close involvement with the new series. Meanwhile, the first new cast members announced—including Essiedu—haven’t yet publicly commented on working with Rowling, save for John Lithgow, who said Rowling’s views weren’t a factor in his decision. 

Among the signatories of the latest open letter is Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who reacted to Rowling’s celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on social media. “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole,” she wrote at the time. Coughlan launched an impromptu fundraiser for the trans support charity Not A Phase, promising to match donations up to £10,000; her donation drive ultimately raised £120,000 (per The Gay Times). “I feel like the rights of queer people have been chipped away for the last few years and this is a blatant move to take rights away from people,” Coughlan recently said at the Canneseries event in France (via Variety). “The ruling means trans women won’t be able to use the women’s bathroom, and the idea of trans women attacking women in bathrooms. The only time I have ever been made to feel scared has been by cis men. I have never been scared by a trans woman in my life.”