When it was reported that HBO Max might be making a new Harry Potter series, ardent fans, who traditionally would have clamored for more Wizarding World content were torn. Still, the controversy could come back to haunt AT&T. Representatives from Rowling's public relations team declined to comment, directing CNBC to speak with Warner Bros. I think it's a valuable group that I think needs standing up for." "Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. "I felt like I had because I think it was important to," he said. Grint reiterated his support for trans people in an interview with Esquire published last Friday. The most notable voices were from the trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who portrayed Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively, in the original films. It was at this point that LGBTQ groups like GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign, and even the actors who brought her work to life, began to speak out against her. "But endlessly unpleasant as its constant targeting of me has been, 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 like few before it," Rowling wrote. It isn't hate to speak the truth."Ī few days later, after facing criticism, Rowling penned a 3,600-word essay on her personal website defending her comments. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction," she wrote in one of several tweets on June 6. Rowling addressed her opinions about sex and gender identity again in June 2020. "Social media, despite inherent flaws, can serve as a mechanism to empower voices that have been traditionally disenfranchised, like trans individuals, and also to demand accountability for those in positions of power whose words may cause harm to groups with historically less power," said Caty Borum Chattoo, executive director of the Center for Media & Social Impact at American University.
This is usually used in a negative context. These feminists are often referred to as "trans-exclusionary radical feminists" or TERFs. These with similar beliefs often call themselves gender critical feminists, fear that sex is being argued into nonexistence and that it will erode women's rights. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?"įor people like Forstater and Rowling, there is a belief that gender identity is separate from biological sex and should not be given priority when it comes to lawmaking and policy. Live your best life in peace and security. Sleep with any consenting adult who'll have you. "Dress however you please," Rowling wrote in a tweet on Dec.
Her opinion is that men who undergo reassignment surgery are still men, even if the law recognizes them as women. government's plans to allow people to self-identify their gender, as she does not believe that it is possible for a person to change sex. The author expressed support for Maya Forstater, who had lost an employment tribunal over comments she had made on social media about transgender people.įorstater had disagreed with the U.K. Rowling's comments about transgender men and women surfaced in late 2019.
However, WarnerMedia in January quickly quashed reports that a show based on the beloved book series was coming to HBO Max.
Rumors have circulated that AT&T-owned HBO Max could launch a TV show based on the books or turn Rowling's co-written stage play "The Cursed Child" into a feature-length film. After all, Disney's streaming platform Disney+ has seen great success from transitioning its blockbuster Star Wars and Marvel franchises into digital series. There has been speculation for months that WarnerMedia would utilize the franchise to bolster sign-ups for its fledgling streaming service HBO Max. These fans, including members of the LGBTQ community, helped the franchise garner more than $9 billion at the global box office over the course of eight films and led to the sales of more than 500 million copies of Rowling's Harry Potter books worldwide. These remarks have turned the very people who were once inspired by the Harry Potter novels and films against Rowling, leading to threats of boycotts against future content.