J.K. Rowling has responded to Harry Potter actors supporting a pro-trans letter, claiming their actions were driven by fear, not belief.
J.K. Rowling has made headlines again with her strong opinions on the trans community.
Recently, several actors from the “Harry Potter” franchise signed an open letter supporting trans rights.
This letter came out after the UK Supreme Court ruled that “woman” and “sex” specifically refer to biological women and biological sex.
J.K. Rowling shows strong support for the court ruling
J.K. Rowling, 59, expressed her support for the Supreme Court ruling in an essay she shared on social media.
In her writing, she criticized her fellow actors for signing the pro-trans letter, accusing them of being “motivated by fear.”
“In light of recent open letters from academia and the arts criticising the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on sex-based rights, it’s possibly worth remembering that nobody sane believes, or has ever believed, that humans can change sex, or that binary sex isn’t a material fact,” the author wrote.
Accusations against fellow actor
In her essay, Rowling pointed out that many who sign such letters do so out of fear for their careers.
She claimed they worry about backlash from colleagues, online critics, and aggressive individuals who oppose differing viewpoints.
According to Rowling, this fear leads to conformity among those in the arts and academia.
She continued: “Some argue that signatories of these sorts of letters are motivated by fear: fear for their careers, of course, but also fear of their co-religionists, who include angry, narcissistic men who threaten and sometimes enact violence on non-believers;
back-stabbing colleagues ever ready to report wrongthink; the online shamers and doxxers and rape threateners, and, of course, the influential zealots in the upper echelons of liberal professions.”
She also noted recent court setbacks for the trans community and said women are pushing back and winning.
This assertion adds to the ongoing discussion about gender rights and women’s rights in the UK.
J.K. Rowling criticizes Harry Potter stars for signing pro-trans rights letter in new essay
Rowling did not name the actors who signed the pro-trans letter but made it clear that she disapproves of their actions.
“I wonder if they ever ask themselves how they got here, and I wonder whether any of them will ever feel shame,” she wrote.
The open letter has over 2,000 signatories, including notable figures like Eddie Redmayne, Paapa Essiedu, and Katie Leung.
Redmayne and Leung, known for “Fantastic Beasts” and “Harry Potter,” publicly support trans rights.
Essiedu will play Snape in HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” series, with Rowling as executive producer.
Fans are calling for boycotts of Rowling.
Rowling’s views have led to calls for boycotts of the new “Harry Potter” TV series.
Many fans are unhappy with her comments about the trans community and have expressed their concerns online.
In response to this backlash, HBO CEO Casey Bloys stated that the series would not be influenced by Rowling’s personal opinions.
“I think it’s pretty clear that those are her personal political views. She’s entitled to them,” Bloys said on “The Town” podcast.
The HBO exec added: “And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”
John Lithgow, who will play Albus Dumbledore in the new series, has also faced criticism for joining the project due to Rowling’s views.
“I thought, ‘Why is this a factor at all?’ I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it,” the “Conclave” actor, 79, said to the Times of London.
“I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her, and I’m curious to talk to her,” he added.