“I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
-J.K. Rowling
#freespeechmatters 21.11.2021
As many of you are already aware, the cast and crew of the Harry Potter movies are coming together to film a special for HBO Max titled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. Everyone, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, will be there, as well as many of the other cast members who were part of the eight-film series. One major ingredient to the films, however, has not been invited to the reunion.
J.K. Rowling, who created all of the characters in the wizarding world, has not received an invite to the reunion, despite her mind being completely responsible for Harry Potter’s success. While she will be featured in archive footage, there will be no new appearances or interviews with the author.
Rowling received backlash after she took to Twitter her stance on biological sex. While she never punched down on the transgender community, her tweets insinuated that a biological woman differs from a trans-woman, and that’s enough for the LGBTQ+ community to get up in arms. She has refused to apologize and has stood by what she believes.
Rowling was further criticized by the sensitive mob when her book, Troubled Blood, was released under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.. A male serial killer depicted in the book occasionally wears a wig and lipstick when he stalks his victims. Critics accused Rowling of suggesting that we should “never trust a man in a dress.”
Rowling has never received the support she deserved during her cancellation. Harry Potter star Rupert Grint openly disagreed with her, telling Esquire that he believes the transgender community is a vulnerable group of people that need him to stand up for their cause. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson also made public appearances criticizing Rowling’s remarks.
Instead of opening the floor for an honest conversation, people silenced Rowling the second they found out she was not a voice box for the dictated script. Anytime somebody signals that they may have a mind of their own, the mob zeros in on them as a target. The national narrative is inconsistent with reality, and more and more people are becoming aware of this. Rowling didn’t speak ill towards the transgender community: She made a statement that sex is a biological factor determined at birth. She does not buy into the narrative that it’s a social construct.
Because of this, she won’t be involved in the 20th anniversary Return to Hogwarts, and that’s a shame.
Without Rowling, we would have never been introduced to Harry Potter’s world. We wouldn’t have grown to love Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, or even Severus Snape. Without Rowling, none of this exists. It’s almost nauseating watching a major corporation like HBO and everyone involved in the reunion profit off of what she worked so tirelessly to create. You don’t agree with her opinions, so she’s no longer one of the world’s most creative writers? It’s a shame what has become of the world. We are divided by disagreements that we should be able to have.
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