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Mark Hamill apologizes after he accidentally liked one of JK Rowling’s anti-trans tweets

Hamill, an LGBTQ+ ally, found himself at the mercy of Twitter this week.
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA / USA - DECEMBER 16, 2019: actor Mark Hamill, attends the premiere of Disney's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on December 16, 2019
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA / USA - DECEMBER 16, 2019: actor Mark Hamill, attends the premiere of Disney's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on December 16, 2019 Photo: Shutterstock

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has clarified his intent after he liked an offensive tweet from notoriously anti-trans Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

Trans broadcaster India Willoughby recently tweeted, “I’m more of a woman than JK Rowling will ever be.” Rowling then shared a screenshot of the tweet and wrote, “citation needed.”

Hamill then liked Rowling’s tweet, which led to immense Twitter backlash and accusations that he is transphobic. Others, however, came to his defense and gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming the situation was an accident.

Even Willoughby came to his defense before he explained himself. “I’m a fan of Mark Hamill,” she wrote. “He’s a good guy. Ignore this crap from @FoxNews – typical Murdoch garbage. Mark’s totally onside with the LGBTs.”

Hamill, who has long positioned himself as an LGBTQ+ ally, then tweeted out an explanation.

“What I ‘liked’ about this exchange was someone speaking their truth to power. Twitter is, unfortunately, no place for nuance. It’s imperative I make this abundantly clear: I support human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of their gender identity, PERIOD.”

The explanation confused many, who didn’t know if he was referring to Willoughby or Rowling for “speaking truth to power,” but based on his beliefs, most assumed he meant Willoughby.

Willoughby responded, saying, “Lots of love Mark. Agree! Peace!”

Trans activist Charlotte Clymer also replied to Hamill’s clarification, stating, “Just catching up. It’s shitty that people got on you for this. Thanks for always supporting trans rights, Mark.”

This is not the first time Hamill has had to apologize for liking one of Rowling’s anti-trans tweets. In 2019, he explained that he didn’t realize Rowling had included an anti-trans message at the bottom of one of her posts.

“Ignorance is no excuse, but I liked the tweet without understanding what the last line or hashtags meant,” Hamill wrote. “It was the 1st 4 lines I liked & I didn’t realize it had any transphobic connotation.”

Hamill has indeed spoken out for LGBTQ+ rights in the past. Last March, he tweeted in support of Florida students protesting the state’s Don’t Say Gay bill.

In 2016, he said that his character Luke Skywalker is gay if fans want to believe he is.

“If you think Luke is gay, of course he is,” he told The Daily Beast. “You should not be ashamed of it.”

In 2020, he tweeted a sweet poem about romance between two male characters in the Star Wars franchise.

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