Michelle Gomez Addresses ‘Harry Potter’ Audible Casting Backlash

As the Harry Potter universe expands to new mediums, Michelle Gomez is the latest actor to speak out against franchise creator J.K. Rowling‘s anti-trans views.

After Deadline reported this week that Gomez will voice Professor McGonagall in Pottermore Publishing and Audible‘s Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, she expressed her support for the trans community while responding to backlash around the project.

“To my LGBTQ+ fans, and especially the trans community: I want to speak directly to the concerns that have been raised about my involvement in this project,” she wrote Wednesday on her Instagram Story, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I hear you, and I understand why this is painful for many. I want to be clear that I stand with trans people, and I support trans rights – fully and without hesitation.

“When I accepted this role, I did so as someone who has always loved the stories and what they meant to so many – especially those who found comfort and identity in that world. I now understand more clearly how deeply complicated and hurtful this association can feel, and I take that seriously.”

Gomez continued, “Being an ally means listening even when it’s uncomfortable and taking accountability where it’s needed. I’m committed to doing both.”

After Rowling previously celebrated UK’s Supreme Court ruling that prohibits trans women from being legally recognized as women, more than 400 people signed a letter urging the country’s film and television industry to take action against her on trans rights. One such signatory was Paapa Essiedu, who has been cast in HBO Max’s Harry Potter series as Professor Snape.

Rowling has said she “worked closely” with the show’s writers’ room, and Deadline previously reported she was part of the pitch process for the Warner Bros. Television series, which she will produce through her Brontë Film and TV banner.

HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys confirmed at the time that Rowling “will be involved. She’s an executive producer on the show. Her insights are going to be helpful on that.”

Explaining that the controversy around Rowling’s anti-trans statements is “very nuanced and complicated,” Bloys added: “Our priority is what’s on the screen. Obviously, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority — what’s on screen.”