Increasingly, J.K. Rowling has become “She Who Must Not Be Named” among fans of the Harry Potter franchise. In recent years the author has made comments about gender and gender identity many see as hostile and downright hateful towards trans people, and, now, with Rowling claiming her thoughts are misjudged in a new project, several are saying her suggestion is just nonsense.
For those unaware, it was recently announced Rowling will take part in a podcast for the Free Press outlet founded by Bari Weiss. The series, titled The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, promises to look at major conflicts of our time through the lens of her life and career and, in the trailer for the series which will also feature Rowling critics, the 57-year-old says the following to the listeners;
“What has interested me in recent years, particularly on social media, is when fans say, ‘you’ve ruined your legacy. Oh, you could have been beloved forever, but you say this.’ And I think: ‘you could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.’”
The announcement is making the rounds on social media, and, for one, the quote does not hold up to scrutiny as Rowling does not bother to elaborate. Essentially, you cannot really claim this when you do not bother to be truthful about what you mean as well.
It is worth noting Rowling did publish an essay on the matter in 2020 when her mindset first started to attract broader attention. The article on her website was not well-received at the time (parts of it include calling younger trans people adorable and saying “‘woman’ is not a costume”) and a different critic adds Rowling should have spoken more and backtracking now will not work out.
In the quote tweets for a different writer sharing the news of the podcast, one user also takes the time to pick apart one of her concerns. Rowling has previously echoed the (unfortunately) common anti-trans claim that cisgender men will merely pretend to be trans to enter female public spaces and assault women. Needless to say, this is not based on any statistical evidence, as this tweeter scathingly reminded us.
If you wish to listen to The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling podcast, it premieres Tuesday on Spotify and other major audio platforms.