In an interview with The Independent, Harry Melling addressed the transgender debate sparked by JK Rowling. The actor stressed that everyone has the right to choose. “I can only speak for myself, and what I feel for myself is very simple, which is that transgender women are women and transgender men are men,” Melling said. “Every single person has the right to choose who they are and to identify as what belongs to themselves. I don’t want to get into the debate of pointing fingers and saying ‘that’s right, that’s wrong’ because I don’t think I’m the right spokesperson for it. But I believe everyone has the right to vote.” While Melling would like to soften his testimony by claiming he would not participate in the debate, there is little doubt that unlike Rowling’s, he has a strong opinion expresses.
Rowling’s controversial comments have continued to pile up since she first tweeted on the subject. In December 2022, The Independent wrote an editorial denouncing Rowling’s attempt to set up a women’s domestic violence shelter that excludes transgender people. In addition, if Twitter users @Sian_L_S posted a tweet supporting Rowling’s Animal Shelter Rowling answered cheekily goes by “Merry Terfmas” and refers to the acronym for trans-exclusive feminist radicals, something Rowling is often accused of. So it seems Melling’s comments came just as the controversy began to heat up again.
