The Derry Girls and Bridgerton star said it “really upset me to see people celebrating people’s rights being taken away and I think there is something really wrong with that”.
Coughlan made the comments as she was awarded the Commitment Prize by French media company Konbini at Palais des Festivals during Canneseries.
She was speaking in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that women can only be legally defined by biological sex.
Coughlan criticised what she described as the “hypothesized, made-up thing about trans women attacking women in bathrooms”, saying it was “ridiculous because it is not something that is happening”.
Coughlan, who said she had taken the decision during the pandemic to use her voice on social media “for something useful,” called on people to show “true allyship” and act as a “buffer” for the trans and non-binary community.
“It’s all fun to go to Pride and wave a flag, and watch Drag Race, but are you going to be there when it is awkward and uncomfortable,” she said.
“Sometimes, you’ll be mega-attacked online, but you have to ask, ‘Do I care about that or do I care more about the people who are suffering’ and weigh it up.”
The actress recently matched any donations to the UK’s Not a Phase trans and non-binary charity that campaigns to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
It had been in danger of collapsing after losing most of its corporate sponsors, but Coughlan’s campaign raised £60,000, which she matched.
“I feel like the rights of queer people have been chipped away for the last few years and this is a blatant move to take rights away from people,” she added.
“The ruling means trans women won’t be able to use the women’s bathroom, and the idea of trans women attacking women in bathrooms. The only time I have ever been made to feel scared has been by cis men. I have never been scared by a trans woman in my life.”
Speaking about her fundraising, she said Not a Phase was going to have to close and cease their support of thousands of people due to the loss of corporate sponsorships, a result of “not [being] trendy to support trans people anymore.”
“Because of the donations they received, they can keep supporting people,” she added, thanking those in the room who might have contributed to her crowdfunding.
Earlier this month, Coughlan slammed the Harry Potter TV reboot, writing on social media: “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a 10ft pole”, after JK Rowling, a vocal critic of trans rights, celebrated the Supreme Court ruling on social media.
Coughlan, who has also raised for money for children caught up in the violence in Palestine, was asked whether she felt pressure to stay quieter on the advice of people within the entertainment industry.
“[With] any actor speaking on any cause, there’s a certain sense that it’s better if you say nothing, and that’s why most actors don’t say anything,” she said.
“I get that: It is our job to entertain you and be in a show, film or play and do the thing, so I totally see how it can be difficult and why people advise not to do these things.”
She pointed out that her late father had been in the Irish Army as a peacekeeper and spent time in Jerusalem and Syria.
“There is a factor of ‘it’s better if you say nothing’ because our job is to entertain you,” said the actor when asked about speaking in support of Palestine.
“My dad was in the Irish Army, which is a peacekeeping force. My family lived in Jerusalem and Syria in the 70s, so it’s something that is in my bones.
“We are talking about right or wrong, about children being bombed in their beds. I wouldn’t accept that anywhere in the world.”
The actor, who was bestowed the award for being a “talent actively making a change well beyond television,” continued by highlighting how there has “always been a connection between Palestine and Ireland,” and that the two countries have “shared ideals and struggles”.
“Any country in the world that was facing this, I would talk about it. It’s not difficult. For me, the killing of innocent people is never right,” she added.
Coughlan also talked about her roles in Derry Girls, Bridgerton and Channel 4 drama Bad Mood.
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