‘Harry Potter’ star Bel Powley “strongly disagrees” with J.K. Rowling’s gender views: “I think the trans community deserve safety and dignity”

Harry Potter star Bel Powley has said she “strongly disagrees” with J.K. Rowling‘s views on gender, voicing her support for the trans community. The actor, who rose to fame in 2015 film The Diary Of A Teenage Girl, will play Petunia Dursley in HBO‘s forthcoming TV adaptation of the book saga, with Rowling serving as executive producer on the series. Rowling’s controversial gender views and hostility to the trans community has already created headlines during the filming of the show, with several actors choosing to publicly distance themselves from the author’s stance on the issue, and now Powley has made her own views clear. Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.” She went on to say that her difference in views has not affected her love for the series in general, adding: “But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.” Other actors to have spoken out include John Lithgow, who will be playing Albus Dumbledore. He said he considered leaving the proje...