JK Rowling reflects on the trans controversy and backlash from Harry Potter fans

Nearly three years after sparking outrage online, JK Rowling reflects on her transphobia controversy and Harry Potter the fans’ reaction to the matter. The best-selling author first came under pressure in mid-2020 when she began using the phrase “people who are menstruating‘, with her comments widely viewed as anti-trans and disrespectful. Rowling has defended himself a number of times in the years since, while both fans and former collaborators have been divided down the middle.

In the latest episode of the ongoing podcast The Witch Trials by JK Rowling, the author of the same name opened up the controversy surrounding her seemingly transphobic comments. While Rowling admitted no regrets over her actions, she did admit that she feared for the lives of her and her family Harry Potter Fan backlash that included death threats while also citing others have defended her. See below how Rowling reflects on the controversy:

I absolutely knew that if I said so, many people who had loved my books would be deeply unhappy with me. I knew that. I knew because I could see that they believed they lived the values ​​I championed in those books. I could tell they believed they were fighting for misfits, difference and fairness. And I thought it would be easier not knowing that this could be really bad. And frankly, it was bad. I personally didn’t enjoy it. And sometimes I was afraid for my safety and especially for the safety of my family.

Time will tell if I got that wrong. I can only say that I thought about it thoroughly and intensively and for a long time and, I promise, listened to the other side. And I firmly believe that there is something dangerous about this movement and that it needs to be challenged. But at the same time I have to tell you that a lot of Potter fans were still with me. And indeed, a lot of Potter fans were grateful that I said what I said.

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Most of the actors from Harry Potter Franchise has spoken out against Rowling’s transphobic comments, with Daniel Radcliffe apologizing to fans of the series and the LGBTQ+ community for her words. She wasn’t without some defenders, however, as Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes accused those who criticized her of her “disturbing“Level of hatred for the author, while Luna Lovegood actress Evanna Lynch recently felt that audiences should give her a platform to share her opinions.

Warner Bros., the studio behind the Harry Potter And Fantastic Beasts Movies and Universal Studios Parks & Resorts, home of the Hogwarts theme park rides, were back and forth in their responses, emphasizing their support for the LGBTQ+ community while simultaneously condemning threats against Rowling. The backlash from fans has led to general uncertainty about the franchise’s continued success, with some moving towards boycotting it Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and the recently released ones Hogwarts legacy video game.

Although the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts Franchise was the highest-grossing and possibly dashed plans for the last two chapters, Hogwarts legacy received positive reviews and broke multiple records for Warner Bros. Games, suggesting Rowling’s comments couldn’t have hurt that Harry Potter Brand for the future. Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels recently teased that the Wizarding World expansion is just getting started for the studio, although there will be more Fantastic Beastsan adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or a full reboot remains to be seen.

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