J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, came under fire at the beginning of June 2020 for contentious tweets that she sent concerning the transgender community. Her stance has prompted fans of the wizarding world as well as stars from the franchise, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne, to voice their opposition to the author. However, she has said that she already knew that the comments she made will make people unhappy.
J.K. Rowling Said She Anticipated Receiving Backlash For Her Stances On Transgender Issues
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has admitted that she anticipated “many persons would be profoundly upset with me” after she publicly expressed her opinions on transgender problems.
She told podcast host Megan Phelps-Roper on The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling that she is “totally upholding the positions that I took in Potter,” despite claims that she has violated the messages in the Harry Potter novels.
After novelist Maya Forstater lost her job in 2019 after tweeting that transgender women could not change their biological sex, the author, who seldom does interviews, spoke with Phelps-Roper about her tweet in support of Forstater. Forstater ultimately prevailed in court after claiming she had been treated unfairly because of her gender-critical views.
Rowling remarked on the show,“When I first became interested in, and then deeply troubled by, what I saw as a cultural movement that was illiberal in its methods and questionable in its ideas, I absolutely knew that if I spoke out, many people who love my books would be deeply unhappy with me.”
Rowling added, “When I first became interested in, and then deeply troubled by, what I saw as a cultural movement that was illiberal in its methods and questionable in its ideas, I absolutely knew that if I spoke out, many people who love my books would be deeply unhappy with me. I knew that, because I could see that they believed that they were living the values I had espoused in those books. I could tell that they believed that they were fighting for underdogs and difference and fairness. And I thought it would be easier not to.”
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Rowling acknowledged that this could be really bad and that she had been scared at moments for her safety and, overwhelmingly, for the safety of her family, but insisted that she wanted to speak nevertheless, adding, “Time will tell whether I’ve got this wrong.”
Rowling stated, “I thought about it deeply and hard and long and I’ve listened, I promise, to the other side, and I believe, absolutely, that there is something dangerous about this movement and that it must be challenged”.
Fans of Harry Potter have voiced their displeasure with the author. In 2022, the governing body of a form of quidditch based on Rowling’s novels cited Rowling’s “anti-trans positions” as the rationale for changing the name of the sport to quadball. You can check the official tweet by JK Rowling below.
If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
In defending herself against claims that she is a villain like the ones in her popular series, Rowling revealed on a podcast that “a ton of Potter fans were pleased I’d said what I said.”
The Death Eaters, a group Harry Potter fought against, were described as demonizing and dehumanizing anyone who were not like them by her.
According to Rowling, “I am fighting what I see as a powerful, insidious, misogynistic movement, that has gained huge purchase in very influential areas of society. I do not see this particular movement as either benign or powerless, so I’m afraid I stand with the women who are fighting to be heard against threats of loss of livelihood and threats to their safety.” You can also have a look at a similar tweet by JK Rowling with regard to the remarks she made.
"I've never felt as shouted down, ignored, and targeted as a lesbian *within* our supposed GLBT community as I have over the past couple of years." https://t.co/9tmEEydPIr
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
In an interview for a podcast, a reader expressed the wish that Rowling “can try to see why so many trans people are angry and hurt by this … and understand why people who are being constantly rejected and humiliated by our families and governments, who are losing our access to healthcare or being threatened with it, who are fighting for our basic ability to participate in society, why we might feel hurt and betrayed by her contributing to fear about us.”
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