JK Rowling certainly shocked many Harry Potter fans when she went public with her transphobic views in June 2020. He did not receive support from the stars of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne. Who expressed his activism for transgender and non-binary rights. However, HBO has supported Rowling despite being a TERF.
Major Harry Potter fan communities such as MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron also condemned Rowling’s comments and distanced themselves from her future projects. However, controversies aside, HBO has supported and promoted the development of the Harry Potter television series, making it clear this time that Rowling is personally involved.
In comments to Variety, a representative for HBO spoke about the writer’s strong relationship with Warner Bros., saying that his work is important and invaluable. “We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter – heart-warming books that tell of the power of friendship, determination and acceptance,” the statement said.
Also read: Producers of the Harry Potter TV series say JK Rowling did not let her transphobic views get in the way of the show’s development process.
Despite Rowling’s views being offensive to the transgender community, HBO feels she has a right to her personal thoughts and ideas. The statement further said, “JK Rowling has the right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her participation.”
HBO executive Casey Bloys had previously supported her and said that Rowling was instrumental in the decision to hire the writer and director for the series. Bloys said that the decisions to hire people were not influenced by his transphobic views, but it is unknown whether transgender people currently working on the project were ever hired.
In the past, Rowling has made several posts that reflected her anti-trans bias and she intentionally used the wrong pronouns for some people. She has gone as far as labeling transgender women as ‘predators’, leading to her being labeled a ‘TERF’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). From September to November of 2023, she sent him over 200 messages related to trans issues on X, while Harry Potter only attracted his attention nine times in total.
Also read: ‘Perfect’: Elon Musk supports Harry Potter creator JK Rowling’s views on gender dysphoria
