An actress best known for her work in the Harry Potter film franchise took a strong stance in support of detransitioners in a recent interview.
Evanna Lynch, an Irish actress whose character Luna Lovegood appeared in four of the eight Harry Potter films, who had previously criticized J.K. Rowling for her opinions on transgender issues, praised the Harry Potter author for elevating the stories of detransitioners in an interview for the Telegraph.
“I do also think it’s important that JK Rowling has been amplifying the voices of detransitioners,” said Lynch. “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.”
In 2020, Lynch had said Rowling was “on the wrong side of this debate,” and called her “irresponsible” for using Twitter to discuss the “delicate topic” of transgender issues. Now, Lynch has backtracked from her previous criticisms of Rowling because she has a better understanding of both sides of the debate.
“I was very naive when I was dragged into that conversation,” said Lynch. “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.”
Lynch said she could relate to those suffering from mental health and body image issues, having struggled with anorexia as an adolescent, according to her interview with the Telegraph.
“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.
Lynch, who has said she shares similarities with the quirky and unconventional character Luna Lovegood she played in the Harry Potter franchise, alluded to seeking a diagnosis of Autism Spectum Disorder (ASD). Lynch told the Telegraph that she is exploring “neurodiversity,” and while she is seeking a diagnosis, she does not want “to cling on to one label yet.”
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“I’ve always just said: ‘I’m too sensitive, life is overwhelming.’ I’ve started to think there might be a more scientific reason for this feeling of oddness,” said Lynch.
Many young women who had flown under the radar of an autism diagnosis as a child are discovering the possibility they may be on the spectrum now that new research on autism in women has emerged. Up until recently, autism was considered a “boy’s diagnosis,” affecting males and females by a ratio of 4:1. Experts now believe that girls’ autistic traits present differently, which may require separate diagnostic criteria to detect, and that the sex ratio may be more evenly matched than previously thought.
Lynch said that others should try to consider Rowling’s point of view, and expressed that she would “always defend her character.”
“I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society,” said Lynch. “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.”
Vulnerable members of society include detransitioners, a growing population of young people who formerly identified as transgender and speak about the medical harm they endured from chemical and surgical sex change services they now regret — which were frequently prescribed by health care professionals without proper evaluation and mental health assessments.
Many of these detransitioners believe they were misdiagnosed because they were struggling with mental health issues like depression or neurodevelopmental conditions like autism when they chose to transition. They were often introduced to transgender ideology through TikTok and YouTube or other social influences, and at the time believed that adopting a transgender identity would alleviate their distress.
The mere existence of detransitioners disrupts the predominant transgender narrative, especially when it comes to the permanent and irreversible effects of pediatric medical transition. They have, for the most part, been ignored by legacy media outlets, and derided by transgender activists as “bigots” and “transphobes.”
There are seven detransitioners in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and most recently Spain, who have recently brought legal action against the medical providers that facilitated their chemical and surgical transitions.
While the exact number of detransitioners is unknown, and more research is needed, the number appears to be steadily rising. A forum created in 2017 for detransitioners on Reddit appears to be adding over 1,000 members a month, and now has nearly 45,000 members.
Studies that have shown a small rate of regret of medical transition are often used by transgender activists to dismiss or diminish the experience of detransitioners. However, upon closer inspection, the two extensive studies that found 2% or less of individuals regret their transition surveyed adults, not the new cohort of adolescents that people are most concerned about.
Researchers recognize that short-term studies may underestimate detransition and regret because it can take up to a decade after treatment for some people to experience these outcomes. Additionally, some studies lose track of patients as they age out of pediatric clinics.
Two smaller studies in the U.K. report that between 7% and 10% of patients initially assessed for gender-related medical services later detransitioned. In the United States, a recent study found that 29% of 68 patients seeking medical transition care changed their requests for hormone treatment, surgery, or both. Another U.S. study from last year found that 30% of patients who commenced cross-sex hormone treatment discontinued it within four years for unknown reasons.
An upcoming event for “Detrans Awareness Day” organized by OurDuty, a nonpartisan group of parents and allies, scheduled to take place at the California State Capitol in Sacramento on Friday, March 10, is anticipated to be the largest ever.
The event is geared toward raising awareness of the growing population of minors and adults harmed by gender ideology and the chemical and surgical sex change services they hastily received due to the “affirmative” model of transgender care embraced by United States medical organizations.