Evanna Lynch Reacts to J.K. Rowling Backlash for Trans Comments: 'I Do Have Compassion for Both Sides'

Evanna Lynch is defending JK Rowling.

The 31-year-old actress, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series, spoke out amid JK‘s continued controversy regarding her thoughts about the transgender community, which have caused many Harry Potter actors to speak out against the 57-year-old author.

In a new interview, she expressed her thoughts about her relationship with the author, having first commented on 2020 on Twitter.

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“I was very naive when I was dragged into that conversation,” she reflected.

“I didn’t even know there were two sides. I had a view of, like, good and bad. I do have compassion for both sides of the argument. I know what it was like to be a teenager who hated my body so much I wanted to crawl out of my skin, so I have great compassion for trans people and I don’t want to add to their pain,” she said.

“I do also think it’s important that JK Rowling has been amplifying the voices of de-transitioners. I had this impulse to go, ‘Let’s all just stop talking about it’, and I think probably I’m a bit braver now about having uncomfortable conversations,” Evanna continued.

She added that the backlash was surprising, “especially when she wrote her essay [revealing experiences in her unhappy first marriage]. I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.”

Here’s what some other Harry Potter stars have said about the controversy.