JK Rowling’s criticisms of transphobia not addressed

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The “Harry Potter” 20th anniversary special “Back to Hogwarts” premieres January 1 on HBO Max. JK Rowling appears in clips from a 2019 interview, but not in new footage from the special. It does not address Rowling’s comments on trans people, nor subsequent critiques of transphobia. Loading Something is loading.

HBO Max’s “Harry Potter” 20th anniversary special, “Return to Hogwarts,” includes excerpts from a previous interview with series author JK Rowling, but does not respond to any of the criticisms leveled by his remarks during recent years regarding transgender people. people are transphobic.

The special, which premieres on HBO Max on January 1, brings together the cast and creators of the eight “Harry Potter” films, including actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and directors Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates.

The special reunion focuses heavily on the films themselves and their legacy, mostly bypassing the books and the author who wrote them.

Rowling appeared sparingly on the special, through clips of an archived Warner Bros. interview. Studio Tour London 2019, mainly commenting on the start of the film series. Rowling was invited to participate in an interview for the special, but the team behind her felt the previous footage was sufficient, Entertainment Weekly reported, citing anonymous sources.

The special, however, does not address Rowling’s comments over the past few years regarding transgender people – particularly transgender women – which have drawn backlash and accusations of transphobia.

Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe on the “Harry Potter” special. WarnerMedia

Rowling, since 2018, has been criticized for espousing transphobic views on social media, for example by suggesting that women are the only people who have periods and appearing to say that trans people erase the concept of sex. .

In 2020, she published an essay titled “JK Rowling Writes About Her Reasons for Speaking Out on Sex and Gender Issues”, in which she addressed being called TERF – a trans-exclusionist radical feminist – and expressed concerns about “the new trans activism”, which she said could harm cisgender women.

Rowling’s comments prompted some franchise players to speak out. Radcliffe wrote an essay for The Trevor Project saying that “trans women are women” and that he felt “compelled to say something”. Watson did not speak directly to Rowling, but tweeted her support for transgender people following the author’s comments.

His comments have also prompted many to re-evaluate their relationship with “Harry Potter”. Some have removed or covered their ‘Harry Potter’ related tattoos, as Insider previously reported. Insider also reported that some trans fans have expressed disappointment with the author’s comments.

Rowling’s criticism also shed a brighter light on the criticism of her novels, from how she portrays the few non-white characters in the series to the lack of LGBTQ + characters in the main “Harry Potter” canon.

“Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: ​​Return to Hogwarts” will be available to stream on HBO Max starting January 1.

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