Michaela Jaé Rodriguez doesn’t take too much notice of J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments about the transgender community.
Rodriguez — who became the first trans star to win a Golden Globe for “Pose” last year — told Variety when asked about her reaction to Rowling’s suggestion that trans women should not be considered women: “Some of the stuff that she says really doesn’t faze me so much. I’m not here for it. I will always remain a trans woman.
“I will always call myself a trans woman. I will always refer to other biological women as cis women, in a non-derogatory way. But I’m a strong girl. I’m a strong woman. I was raised by a strong Black woman, which J.K. Rowling was not. I would love to have a conversation with her.”
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She said when questioned what she’d say to her if the pair were to meet: “I would start off with something that’s very lighthearted, just to let her know I’m not someone who is abrasive or who is intimidating, because I’m sure there are trans people who are intimidating her a little bit and making her feel this way.
“I would first start off by saying, ‘Girl, OK, tell me what is the tea? Is there a trans person in your life that’s really making you feel a certain type of way about your womanhood? Because I can promise you that there are other trans women who will show you what it’s actually like to walk in our shoes. Because I can promise you, as a cis biological woman, you just will never understand, just as we will never understand you. But we’re women, so we have to be there for each other.'”
Rowling recently hit headlines after comparing some trans activists to the Death Eaters in the Harry Potter books while speaking on “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” podcast.
Rodriguez has heard the podcast, but insisted that she separated the art from the artist a long time ago.
“It’s a childhood memory that all of us have grasped onto and don’t want to let go. Because of the story,” she told the publication. “We’re not thinking about J.K. Rowling, I can promise you. I’m thinking about Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and their silliness and also their growth.”
