J.K. Rowling Claims Her Statements On Transgender Women Have Been ‘Profoundly’ Misunderstood In New Podcast
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, whose statements on transgender people have drawn widespread criticism over the years as transphobic – including from some of the Potter film franchise’s biggest stars – now says her viewpoint has been “profoundly” misunderstood.
In a trailer for the new podcast The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling (listen below), Rowling says, “I never set out to upset anyone. However, I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal.”
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Rowling goes on to say that when people on social media say, “You’ve ruined your legacy. Oh, you could have been beloved forever, but you chose to say this,” she thinks: “You could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.”
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling premieres Feb. 21 from The Free Press, the media company founded by Bari Weiss, the provocateur who routinely takes aim at what she perceives as woke culture and liberal censorship. The new podcast will be hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper, who grew up as part of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church Phelps family.
Critics of the author say Rowling is aligned with the TERF movement (for trans-exclusionary radical feminist). Rowling insists she is not transphobic yet has repeatedly drawn lines between trans women and “people who menstruate,” insisting that if “sex [gender] isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
In 2020, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe added his voice to the criticism, saying, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either [Rowling] or I. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling podcast launches Tuesday, Feb. 21, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other audio platforms.
Here is the trailer for the podcast:
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