JK Rowling slams another former Harry Potter star over trans controversy

JK Rowling has responded to actor David Tennant after comments made at the British LGBT Awards.

Tennant previously played Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, an adaptation of Rowling's best-selling novel.

Tennant was speaking at the British LGBT Awards, where he won a prize for being a “celebrity ally”.

In his acceptance speech, he said: “If I’m honest I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they’re not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention, because it’s common sense, isn’t it?”

He continued: “However, until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist any more – I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up – whilst we do live in this world, I am honoured to receive this.”

Mrs Badenoch responded to the comments on Tuesday, posting on X (formerly Twitter): "I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls.

"A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can't see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end."

Days later, X user Sal Grover posted a lengthy response to Tennant: "“For me it’s just common sense, that there should be any suggestion that people aren’t allowed to live the life they want to live & to be with who they want to be with & to express themselves wholeheartedly, I mean as long as you’re not hurting anyone else & everyone else just needs to butt out.”

"David Tennant seemingly has no clue what critics of gender ideology are saying & actually opposing. So let’s make it clear:

"• First of all, common sense is knowing that there are only two sexes, sex is immutable & plays many vital roles in society, from sexuality to safeguarding to rights to procreation.

"• Next, no one is suggesting that people can’t live how they want to live. This is a nothing statement. There are, basically, 8 billion ways to live life. As many possibilities are there are humans. The issue is that one group of people has fallen for a lie and wants everyone else to live that lie to some extent as gender ideology is a direct attack on how everyone else lives, from speech to education to how society is structured to rights.

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"• Consenting adults can choose who they want to be in intimate relationships with, that fight has long been won. But gender ideology actually wants to undo that, telling lesbians that they must accept men who claim to be women as lesbians & gay men must accept women who claim to be men as gay men. Now, if being with a person who is lying about their sex is your type, fine. But for everyone else, they also need their rights. Rights to lesbian only spaces & events & rights to gay man only spaces & events, all based in reality. Heterosexual people claiming to be homosexual and then enforcing heterosexuality upon a homosexual group is not progress.

"• Who is saying people can’t express themselves? Men can wear dresses & makeup if they want. Women can cut their hair short & do whatever they think men do. We’ve all got one life, live it in a way that makes sense to you. But understand: your expression does not change material reality, and is not a free pass to take away other people’s rights. Rights, rights, rights.

"• Many people are hurt by the ideology David Tennant & the like are pushing. Women’s rights are abolished, LGB people’s rights are dismantled (while simultaneously getting the blame for this nonsense), children’s right to grow up with their body in tact is demolished, and then there is freedom of belief, speech & association which impacts everyone. Don’t believe me? Try not believing in gender ideology & see how much freedom of belief you have in the workplace. Try creating a female only space and see how many men demand access to it, with institutions like human rights commissions backing them. Try being a female athlete missing out on competition because a man decided he is a woman and used his biological physical advantage to destroy your dreams. Just try to imagine that there are more issues in life than how one “identifies”.

"• Telling people to “butt out” is a clear indication that someone has never once considered how gender ideology plays out in society on a macro scale & why people would be against it, and that he doesn’t actually have empathy for people who are different to him while identifying as someone who does.

"If you don’t understand what your critics are saying, don’t criticize them until you do. The end."

Rowling responded: "What she said," before replying to a quote attributed to Tennant. The quote said: "It's a tiny bunch of whinging f****** who're on the wrong side of history and they'll all go away soon."

Rowling said: "This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders."