Much of the Harry Potter fanbase attempted to give their favorite author the benefit of the doubt when J.K. Rowling was accused of transphobia around two years ago for “liking” a tweet that referred to transgender people as “men in dresses.” Maybe it was just a mishap, a “clumsy and middle-aged moment,” as Ms. Rowling’s representative said.
Then, it was discovered that Ms. Rowling was following Twitter users who were characterizing transsexual women as men. She revealed her personal opinions in December when she enthusiastically backed a British researcher who sued her previous company, alleging discrimination for her “gender critical” beliefs (i.e., her position on the fixation of a person’s sex at birth).
Transgender Issues
First, Ms. Rowling took aim at an article that referred to “people who menstruate,” suggesting that it was wrong to not use “women” in a misguided attempt to include trans people. When she received a negative response to this, she then published a 3,700 word essay on gender, sex, abuse and fear: “I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode woman as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators.”
A discussion started among the Potter fanbase, which is among the longest-lasting fandoms on the internet thanks to the publication of the first book 23 years ago. Fans who agreed with Ms. Rowling’s viewpoints fought with those who thought they were offensive during tense exchanges. Some believed they could just ignore the politics of the outside world and concentrate on what was going on in the wizarding community.
We Created the Fandom
They listen to chapter-by-chapter podcasts, get tattoos with the Hogwarts crest or Deathly Hallows symbol, and attend Potter conferences like LeakyCon, which draws thousands of fans every year. Some have even built their careers on it. Over the past week, some fans said that they had decided to simply walk away from the world that spans seven books, eight movies and an ever-expanding franchise.
Others said that they were trying to separate the artist from the art, to remain in the fandom while denouncing someone who was once considered to be royalty. Rori Porter, a writer and digital designer who started the books about two decades ago, at age 10, had been listening to the audiobooks as a way to relax and fall asleep — until the Rowling controversy bubbled up in December. Ms. Porter is a trans feminine woman.
To her experience, this means she was assigned male at birth but identifies with a feminine gender. Ms. Porter stopped listening in the middle of “Prisoner of Azkaban” and has not started again. The series no longer felt grounding and nostalgic, but stress inducing.
Ms. Porter said she needs a break from the series (and doesn’t plan on giving Ms. Rowling a cent ever again), but she thinks she may revisit the audiobooks one day. “I don’t want to give J.K. Rowling the satisfaction of taking away from me something that I loved as a kid,” she said.
We Don’t Need J.K. Rowling!
For Talia Franks, who is nonbinary and works with an activist group called the Harry Potter Alliance, Ms. Rowling’s comments were disturbing and demoralizing. But they said that they won’t have a problem continuing to write their fan fiction (where queer characters abound), attend Wizard Rock concerts and participate in the online Black Girls Create community, where they often discuss stress-inducing topics.
“I don’t need J.K. Rowling at all,” Mx. Franks said. Fan organizations that serve as repositories of niche news, providing updates on plans for the “Fantastic Beasts” film series and regional Quidditch award results, are now searching for ways to affirm to transgender and nonbinary fans that they are welcome in those communities. Fandom leaders are teaming up to present a unified statement condemning Ms. Rowling’s comments, said Kat Miller, MuggleNet’s creative director.
Money Is Her Focus
It helped boost morale when a series of Harry Potter actors spoke out to affirm transgender identities, including Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry; Emma Watson, who played Hermione; Rupert Grint, who played Ron; and Katie Leung, who played Cho. (Ms. Rowling has also received a recent bout of criticism for the character Cho Chang, whose name is as weak as her characterization.) Other Potter lovers are thinking about ways to keep delving into the series without spending money that might make its way into Ms. Rowling’s bank account.
Fans Come Together
Fans were urged not to go to the theme park, watch the “Cursed Child” performance, or even rent the movies by “The Gayly Prophet Podcast,” an intersectional, queer podcast about “Harry Potter,” on Twitter. Jessie Blount and Lark Malakai Grey, the podcast’s hosts, are already at ease critiquing the series and its creator while pointing out areas that they believe become problematic (such as the underdevelopment of black characters). According to Mr. Grey, the goal is to appreciate the work while continuing to hold the creator responsible.
J.K. Rowling and the Case of the Bathroom Trope
In her piece, Mrs. Rowling stated, “any male who feels or thinks he is a woman is welcome to enter toilets and changing rooms”. Conservative politicians have made the argument that allowing transgender persons to use toilets that reflect their identities puts other people in danger by increasing their vulnerability to attack and privacy violations.
This argument has been used to prevent gender-inclusive legislation from being passed. They have no proof to support their assertions. According to research, denying young trans and nonbinary persons access to locker rooms or proper facilities increases their risk of sexual assault. The group GLSEN discovered that in a 2017 poll of L.G.B.T.Q. kids, the restroom was the place they avoided and felt the most dangerous.
“I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,” Rowling added in a tweet. There was also doubt about her timing. Many expressed their frustration with Rowling’s choice to publish such a self-centered piece at a time when debates about racism and police brutality are dominating American culture and transforming institutions like the media, law enforcement, and educational institutions.
Transgender people and Rowling
Transgender persons frequently experience prejudice in the workplace and in the healthcare system. The number of murders of transgender and gender non-conforming people is so high that a Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in 1999 to pay tribute to their victims. Rowling is frequently referred to as a “TERF,” or trans-exclusionary radical feminist, and has previously been charged with spreading transphobic beliefs on social media. Rowling faced criticism in 2017 after clicking on a tweet that connected to a transphobic.
December saw Rowling tweeting her support for British researcher Maya Forstater, who was fired from a nonprofit think tank after a string of remarks that were deemed to be transphobic. Forstater filed a case against her former employer, but the judge dismissed it, ruling that Forstater’s comments harmed the “dignity” of transgender individuals and was not protected by UK law.
Rowling has already received recognition for her advocacy of the LGBTQ community, most notably for disclosing that headmaster Albus Dumbledore—one of the most important “Harry Potter” characters—is homosexual. However, others have thought that Rowling’s support has fallen short, pointing out that the character’s sexuality was kept a secret in both the book and movie series.
Final Thoughts
J.K. Rowling has a huge social media following, no one can dispute that. She has her opinion and she will say it loud and proud. She isn’t afraid of losing followers because of her opinion either. If her views on transgenderism are correct or not is up to you. One thing is for sure though, her opinions have made quite an impact and quite a social stir among the Harry Potter fans.
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