Expelliarmus, haters! Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch, aka Luna Lovegood, doesn't need a wand or Patronus to fight her battles — just the power of her own words. On Sunday, May 24, she wrote a lengthy takedown of homophobic trolls online, using her Hogwarts alter ego to banish negativity from her feed.
After Ireland legalized same-sex marriage on Saturday, May 23, Lynch took to Instagram with a celebratory post. Her intent was to spread love — but the comment thread on the photo she shared quickly turned ugly.
In response to the vitriol, the actress penned an open letter on Facebook, in which she (very politely) asked any and all trolls to stop following her.
"I am making a special request to all of you today in light of an ugly Instagram thread that is really bothering me," the 23-year-old wrote. "Simply, if you are someone who perceives homosexuality as 'disgusting' or 'f–ked up' or 'unnatural,' will you do me a kindness and please unfollow me on all social media platforms. And then block me."
She went on to explain that she had neither the time nor the desire to engage people in "verbal morality battles" over marriage equality.
"This is not my life's purpose, it's just life as I see it, something I endorse," she wrote, "and the nasty, scathing, and downright cruel remarks just Wear. Me. Out. I believe in always promoting a positive message and I don't want your poison all over my carefully curated wall of light and positivity."
Lynch further argued that while people are entitled to their opinions, those opinions should never be used to harm someone else. "It is possible to not like the idea of homosexuality, to find it a wholly alien, uncomfortable concept and to NOT impose this view on the people it affects and above all to NOT shame people for the way they are," she wrote. "If you can't handle this concept, then kindly LEAVE my page."
She continued: "There are other fiercer, more articulate, more outspoken, and more controversial figures who lead the LQBTQ+ community and will gladly engage in fiery debate with you, will be fueled and energized by your anger and vitriol even…I cannot deal with this kind of venom, and more to the point it is wasted energy on your part to put it here."
The kicker, though, was when she invoked the name of her Harry Potter character. "I think it's safe to assume that the majority of you on here clicked 'like' on account of my portrayal of the character 'Luna Lovegood'…The clue is in the name, people!" she wrote. "Luna Lovegood's love is a GOOD kind of love. It is not conditional or possessive or needy or demanding. It doesn't fall apart the moment you expose a piece of yourself that is unconventional or even unbecoming."
"Luna is a character who accepts all people and creatures in all forms, loves them for exactly what they are and who is constantly in awe at the diversity, strangeness, and newness of each being she encounters," Lynch shared. "Luna is someone who has always taught me to love myself, and I don't know what you are doing on my Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter helping others feel awful about the way they are."
Read Lynch's full Facebook post below.
I am making a special request to all of you today in light of an ugly instagram thread that is really bothering me….
Posted by Evanna Lynch on Sunday, May 24, 2015
