Transphobes share conspiracy theory about Daniel Radcliffe’s pregnant girlfriend
Erin Darke has been the target of a harassment campaign by transphobes. (Getty)
Transphobic social media users have posted hundreds of comments suggesting that Daniel Radcliffe’s pregnant, cisgender girlfriend is actually a trans woman.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actor Erin Darke became the subject of an online storm after trans-exclusionary pundits falsely insinuated that she is a closeted transgender woman.
‘Gender-critical’ author Suzanne Seddon posted a photo of Darke with her boyfriend, with the caption: “This is Daniel Radcliffes [sic] (Harry Potter) Girlfriend. Now what do you see?”, followed by the ‘woozy face’ emoji.
Activists have argued that her tweet seems to suggest that, due to Darke’s height and her facial structure, she is a transgender woman – a claim that is rooted in misogyny.
Replies to the original tweet inflamed the issue, with anti-trans users writing that “it’s a bloke” and others saying she “definitely leaves the toilet seat up”.
“At least he won’t have to worry about his ‘girlfriend’ getting pregnant,” another wrote.
In fact, not only is Darke cisgender, she and the Harry Potter star announced in March that Darke is currently pregnant with their first child.
Pro-trans individuals responded by criticising those pushing the theory for essentially espousing patriarchal beauty standards for women while adding that, even if Darke was transgender, there is no issue with their relationship.
Unless, of course, you’re transphobic.
Gender equality campaigner Gina Martin said that it “brilliantly demonstrates” that transphobia is as misogynistic as it is discriminatory.
“It’s all about unattainable and oppressive standards and actually nothing to do with trans women at all,” she wrote on Twitter.
Others agreed, with one user saying that “the best thing [I’ve] ever heard about this is ‘TERFs define women the way men define women’.
“I’ve never been able to see it differently since,” they continued.
Accusations spread shortly following a video series released by LGBTQ+ suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project featuring Radcliffe, called Sharing Space.
In the first episode, the star hosts a discussion panel with trans young people in an attempt to prove they aren’t confused or pressured into their identities.
“We listen to so many people talk about trans youth and hear them talked about so often in the news,” Radcliffe said. “Very rarely do we actually hear from these youth directly.”
The video was predominantly praised as a “beautiful” attempt to let marginalised groups speak their mind in a way that they are rarely able to.
But, of course, ‘gender-critical’ pundits decided to take issue with the idea of letting under-18s comment on the ongoing debate about their existence by insulting Radcliffe.
Some made the tired old joke that, because Radcliffe supports trans rights, the actor “doesn’t know what a woman is”, while others claimed he was betraying JK Rowling, who has frequently been criticised for her views on trans people.
Others disregarded excuses to ignore the voices of trans people further, saying that Radcliffe is “a legend” for using his platform to advocate for trans rights.
PinkNews has reached out to Suzanne Seddon for comment.
