While JK Rowling asserted that she was misunderstood, the cast of the famous “Harry Potter” series silently cooperated to protest this 59-year-old author.
J.K. Rowling, the globally renowned author of the Harry Potter novels, is facing the biggest scandal of her life: accusations of making discriminatory remarks against transgender individuals. In response to these accusations, the British writer asserted that she has been misunderstood, with her sentences and opinions being misinterpreted.
Following her alleged derogatory remarks about transgender individuals, thousands of comments erupted on Twitter. Notably, even stars who rose to fame through Harry Potter such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Katie Leung, Noma Dumezweni, and Evanna Lynch have spoken out against Rowling.
Derogatory towards transgender individuals?
Rowling’s life’s biggest scandal stemmed from a tweet on June 6th, responding to an opinion article about “creating a post-COVID-19 world more equitable for people who menstruate.”
“Do I really need to say this? ‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” the British author wrote.
This is J.K. Rowling playing with words by combining male and female terms in English. Hence, many opinions suggest that she equates menstruation with womanhood, deliberately excluding transgender individuals who cannot menstruate.
A wave of criticism erupted against Rowling, from audiences to critics.
Her explanatory article, a correction, spanned 3,600 words. Rowling believes that the bandwagon effect distorted her words, leading to undeserved criticism.
The 55-year-old writer also fully understands the hardships and pain of transgender individuals. Rowling admitted that if she were born 30 years later, she might have tried to transition.
This opinion once again faced criticism because medical gender transition cannot change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Strong wave of criticism
GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, stated that the female author distorted the truth, especially on gender issues. However, they advised against personal attacks on Rowling, suggesting instead to contribute to support marginalized transgender women of color.
Cara English, an American LGBTQ+ rights organization, stated that the author’s comments sparked a struggle for equality. “Not only racial discrimination, but also gender discrimination is a pressing issue. Society is unstable, and reviving this issue will only make everything worse.”
Meanwhile, actor Ben O’Keefe bluntly referred to Rowling as a TERF – a term referring to feminist movements that exclude transgender women. Numerous stylists and makeup artists who had previously collaborated with her expressed disappointment in the famous author’s statements.
Eddie Redmayne, star of “The Danish Girl,” a successful film about transgender women, opposed Rowling’s views. “I’ve worked with Rowling and with transgender individuals. As someone in the middle, I disagree with Rowling. Transgender and non-binary individuals are normal. I understand how difficult and criticized their lives are. They just want to live peacefully,” the actor stated.
Harry Potter stars respond
A day after J.K. Rowling’s remarks were deemed discriminatory against transgender individuals, a slew of Harry Potter stars spoke out against her, including enough principal figures.
The first was Harry Potter himself.
The 30-year-old actor cited statistics from the Trevor Project – an LGBT community initiative – showing that 78% of transgender and non-binary individuals face discrimination.
He also apologized to Harry Potter fans for inadvertently hurting them. “No one can violate your privacy. The meaning of the book remains intact, and I hope discriminatory comments won’t tarnish that.”
Daniel Radcliffe’s views clearly oppose Rowling’s.
On June 11th, Hermione Granger voiced support for LGBTQ+ rights. “Transgender individuals deserve to live, be respected, and not be rejected by others. I want you to know that there are many people in the world who understand and respect you,” she wrote.
At the same time, actress Emma Watson urged everyone to support social and charitable funds for the LGBT community. While not directly mentioning the creator of Harry Potter, the 30-year-old star’s statement indicated her lack of support for Rowling.
Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang, subtly shared numerous links to help transgender women, incorporating her role as Cho Chang, with the intention of not agreeing with Rowling.
On social media, comments continue to revolve around the relationship between Rowling and the Harry Potter stars.
While J.K. Rowling claims she is misunderstood, the cast of the famous “Harry Potter” series silently opposes the 55-year-old author.
J.K. Rowling, the globally renowned author of the Harry Potter novels, is facing the biggest scandal of her life: accusations of making discriminatory remarks against transgender individuals. In response to these accusations, the British writer asserted that she has been misunderstood, with her sentences and opinions being misinterpreted.
Following her alleged derogatory remarks about transgender individuals, thousands of comments erupted on Twitter. Notably, even stars who rose to fame through Harry Potter such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Katie Leung, Noma Dumezweni, and Evanna Lynch have spoken out against Rowling.
However, this inadvertently drew the stars of the wizarding world into a different narrative. Many fans believe that the Harry Potter actors spoke out not out of agreement but to express their opposition to her.
