Daniel Radcliffe has been a hit with fans of the Harry Potter Series, in the wake of the controversy over JK Rowling’s transphobia.

Radcliffe, who played the sorcerer’s apprentice in eight films, expressed his hope in a statement that Rowling’s comments did not “tarnish” the books.

Read more: ‘Harry Potter’ star Katie Leung fires back at Rowling’s trans comments

Rowling made headlines over the weekend when she tweeted in response to a headline criticising the use of the word “people” in connection with menstruation.

“I’m sure there was once a word for these people. Can anyone help me? Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she wrote.

However, she was quickly criticized for her tweet and accused of transphobia, since transgender people who today identify as men can also menstruate.

Share a statement by the US non-profit organization The Trevor Projectan LGBTQ suicide prevention charity, Radcliffe said: “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice from professional health bodies who have far more expertise on this issue than Jo or I.”

Read more: Twitter mocks Rowling for revealing Dumbledore’s sexual past in detail

He continued: “To anyone who feels that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry that these comments have hurt you so much.

“I really hope you don’t completely lose what was valuable to you in these stories. If these books have taught you that love is the most powerful force in the universe that can conquer all; if they have taught you that there is strength in diversity and that dogmatic ideas of purity lead to the oppression of disadvantaged groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or genderfluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life – that is between you and the book you are reading, and it is sacred.

“And in my opinion, no one can touch that. It means what it means to you, and I hope these comments don’t tarnish that too much.”

Rowling immediately defended herself after the criticism.

“If sex isn’t real, there is no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the reality of women’s lives is erased worldwide,” she replied. “I know and love transgender people, but erasing the concept of sex takes away the ability of many to talk about their lives in a meaningful way. There is no hate in telling the truth.”

She continued: “The idea that women like me, who have felt compassion and a soul mate for trans people for decades because they are vulnerable in the same way that women are – to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has life consequences is nonsense.

“I respect the right of every trans person to live in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I would demonstrate with you if you were discriminated against because of your transsexuality. At the same time, my life has been shaped by the fact that I am a woman. I don’t think it’s hateful to say that.”

This is not the first time Rowling has been accused of transphobia.

Last year, she spoke out publicly about the case of researcher Maya Forstater, who was fired from her job at the Centre for Global Development after tweeting that “men cannot turn into women”.

Rowling tweeted supportively:

In 2018, she also made headlines when she liked a tweet that referred to transgender women as “men in dresses,” but spokespeople for the author later said it was an oversight.