Miriam Margolyes Critiques Trans Backlash Against JK Rowling, Supports Female-Only Spaces

Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes has criticised the transgender community for reacting with ‘fury’ to JK Rowling’s views on gender identity – despite insisting she does not fully agree with the author’s stance.

Miriam, 84, who played Professor Sprout in the blockbuster wizarding franchise, said she believed some of Rowling’s opinions on the ‘trans issue’ were ‘too harsh’, but expressed dismay at the vehement backlash Rowling has received in recent years.

Rowling, 59, has faced intense criticism from LGBTQ+ activists and several stars of the Harry Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, after publicly expressing concerns about gender ideology and single-sex spaces.

She has said she supports trans rights but also believes that a woman should be defined by biological sex – a view upheld by the UK Supreme Court earlier this year – and campaigns to protect women-only spaces. 

Her comments have been branded transphobic by some campaigners.

Miriam, who is gay and an outspoken LGBTQ rights advocate, said she supports trans people but feels the community should be kinder to its critics.

‘I’ve never met [Rowling], and I’ve never discussed this with her,’ Miriam said. 

Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes has criticised the transgender community for reacting with ‘fury’ to JK Rowling’s views on gender identity – despite insisting she does not fully agree with the author’s stance

Miriam, 84, said she believed some of Rowling’s opinions on the ‘trans issue’ were ‘too harsh’, but expressed dismay at the vehement backlash Rowling has received in recent years

‘She’s a very good writer and I love her detective stories – they’re excellent. I don’t agree with her about the trans issue. I think her opinion is too harsh but I don’t like the fact that the trans community has reacted with such fury.’

Speaking on the latest episode of A Gay Old Time podcast, she continued: ‘It’s not good to be so furious. We should be gentle with each other. We’re all oppressed by sections of the community. Let’s just be kinder.’

The actress, who was made an OBE in 2002 for her services to drama and is known for her unfiltered charm and candid interviews, acknowledged that trans people are often ‘very oppressed’ and praised those she’s met as ‘absolutely adorable, gorgeous and brave’.

But she echoed Rowling’s view that women can feel fearful or uncomfortable around biological men – regardless of their gender identity – in female-only spaces.

‘Women get scared if they’re in a situation where somebody with a penis could rape them, whether they’re straight or gay or whatever,’ she said. 

‘And I think it’s a bit unrealistic of blokes who are on the journey from one side to the other not to realise that. You’ve got to realise women get scared. We’re the ones that get attacked and raped more than blokes do.’

Miriam also weighed in on the increasingly heated debate around trans participation in women’s sport, saying: ‘I don’t think that people who have a man’s body should be playing sports with people who have a woman’s body. I just don’t think it’s fair. There should be another category.’

Miriam played Professor Sprout in the blockbuster wizarding franchise

Rowling, 59, has faced intense criticism from LGBTQ + activists and several stars of the Harry Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, for her opinions 

Earlier this month Tom Felton continued to show his support for JK Rowling as he attended the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 10 year theatre celebration in Hamburg 

Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint pictured in Harry Potter

While reaffirming her support for trans rights, she suggested the discussion has become overly polarised and called for more nuance.

‘We’re not binary. We’re not two boxes. There should be many more boxes and we can pop ourselves into them if we want or not. But we shouldn’t be nasty to people who don’t fit in the same box as us,’ she said.

Her remarks come after years of public infighting among Harry Potter alumni over Rowling’s position. 

While Daniel and Emma have publicly distanced themselves from the author and spoken in support of trans people, some co-stars including Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter have defended Rowling’s right to express her views.

Miriam has previously said she supports her Harry Potter castmates’ right to speak up, adding in 2022 that while she didn’t share Rowling’s perspective, the criticism against the author had been ‘misplaced’.

In the new podcast interview this week, she added that being bullied is something she cannot tolerate – whether in politics or public debate. 

‘That’s one thing I will not have – being bullied,’ she said. ‘We’ve got to nourish love. There’s not a lot of love about, which is a pity.’

Earlier this month Tom Felton continued to show his support for JK Rowling as he attended the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 10 year theatre celebration in Hamburg.

The actor, 37, who played Draco Malfoy in the original films from 2001 until 2011, recently revealed he will be reprising his role for the Broadway show. 

In stark contrast to his co-stars Emma, Daniel and Rupert Grint who have turned their back on Rowling due to her controversial views on trans rights, Tom has been vocal in his support for the author.

Rowling has been very vocal on the subject of trans people for several years and following the Supreme Court’s judgment on April 17, the author has consistently referred to transgender women as being ‘men’.

However while his co-stars have turned frosty against her, more than two decades after Rowling helped give him his big break, Tom doubled down on his support for the franchise’s author, insisting he is ‘grateful’ for what she has done for him.

During his appearance at the Tony Awards last month, Tom was asked if the controversy around the writer’s views on trans rights affected his work. 

He replied: ‘No, I can’t say it does. I’m not really that attuned. The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world. 

‘Here I am in New York. And I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, and she’s responsible for that. So I’m incredibly grateful.’ 

In April, Rowling insisted she would never forgive the younger stars of the film franchise for speaking out against her views on trans rights.

Responding to a tweet that asked whether the likes of Daniel and Emma would apologise to the author, ‘safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them’, she said: ‘Not safe, I’m afraid.’

‘Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,’ the writer added.

Tom also previously expressed his excitement about joining the upcoming Broadway production.

He told Variety: ‘I think we all thought the wizarding world would slowly… that the fandom flame might douse over the years, but clearly it’s not.’

The likes of Daniel, Emma and Rupert, pictured L-R with Rowling in 2011, have distanced themselves from the woman who made their careers

Many of Rowling’s followers previously widely interpreted this Tweet as a nod to the three child stars who played the lead roles in the successful franchise

Hermione actress Emma Watson is seen posing in a trans rights T-shirt

‘I think the most exciting part is to do it live. It took nine months, more or less, to shoot a film. And this is all compact. This is all reimagined into a very lovely new, tight story. And I get to be a dad, which has been fun.’

Tom will join the cast in November and star in the show for 19 weeks, concluding his run in March 2026.

Previously hitting back at accusations he was ungrateful for his success, Radcliffe insisted he doesn’t owe her ‘the things he truly believes’, while Watson said transgender people deserved to ‘live their lives without being constantly questioned, with Grint also echoing her sentiments.

Meanwhile other stars have expressed their horror over Rowling’s treatment, with Robbie Coltrane insisting nothing she said was ‘offensive’ in 2020, while Ralph Fiennes said he couldn’t understand the ‘vitriol’ directed at her in 2021, and in 2022, Helena Bonham Carter argued Rowling had been ‘hounded’ and was entitled to her opinion.