Paapa Essiedu, who is set to play Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming television adaption of the Harry Potter series, is among more than 400 TV and film professionals who have signed an open letter pledging solidarity with the trans community, following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of “sex”.

The letter, started by development producer Sid Strickland and script editor Jack Casey, expressed “solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling”.

The country’s top judges ruled that the protected characteristic of “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act referred to biological women and excluded trans women.

The case was brought by gender-critical For Women Scotland (FWS), who were given financial backing by Potter author JK Rowling. They asked the court to consider: “Is a person with a full Gender Recognition Certificate, which recognises that their gender is female, a ‘woman’ for the 2010 Equality Act?”

The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging implications not only for the trans and non-binary community but also for public bodies, organisations and services who will be need to update their polices on inclusion and single-sex spaces to reflect the judgement.

The letter has been signed by Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne, The Last of Us favourite Bella Ramsey and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, as well as a number of writers, producers and directors.

All the signatories “believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people living in the UK”.

The letter went on to say: “The UK film and television industry is at the forefront of cultural change. In recent years, we have come together in response to the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements, to reflect upon our working practices and uplift a broad spectrum of voices in our society.

“We must now urgently work to ensure that our trans, non-binary and intersex colleagues, collaborators and audiences are protected from discrimination and harassment in all areas of the industry, whether on set, in a production office or at a cinema.

“Film and television are powerful tools for empathy and education, and we believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds. This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history.”

Essiedu’s signature might prove surprising, given Rowling’s gender-critical views. Following the court’s verdict, the author confirmed that she had donated £70,000 ($93,000) to FWS. In a post on X/Twitter, she shared a photo of two glasses with a caption heralding what she called TERF VE Day.

In a second post, Rowling, who also writes crime novels under the pseudonym JK Galbraith, posed with a cigar and cocktail, writing: “I love it when a plan comes together” – seemingly a quote from cigar-smoking Hannibal Smith, a character in the 80s TV show The A-Team.

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