Harry Potter has marked an entire generation. The books, set in the magical world of Hogwarts, have made JK Rowling one of the most read authors in the world in the 21st century. Although the writer has been widely applauded for her ingenuity, she has also been the protagonist of several controversies. The last one has to do with transphobia. Rowling has assured that she would “happily” serve time in prison for her anti-trans views.
It was last Tuesday when the author of the renowned saga, adapted to film with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as protagonists, tweeted a photo that did not go unnoticed. “Repeat after us: trans women are women,” the photo expressed. For her part, JK added a resounding “No” to the publication, thus demonstrating that she was against trans people. It was at that moment that the controversy broke out.
A follower of the writer began encouraging people through social networks to vote for the Labor Party, a center-left party in the United Kingdom, since in recent days it has been known that they want to convert attacks on gender identity in a crime punishable by up to two years in prison. “I will gladly serve two years if the alternative is forced speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of sex,” Rowling responded to these words.
“Let the court case begin,” he said. “It will be more fun than ever on a red carpet,” she expressed. In fact, JK went a little further and later joked about possible jobs he could do while in prison. “Waiting for the library, obviously, but I think I would do well in the kitchen,” he expressed through X, formerly Twitter. “Laundry could be a problem. I have a tendency to accidentally shrink things or turn them pink. Although I suppose that won’t be a major problem if it’s mainly robes and sheets,” she continued writing.
The truth is that it is not the first transphobic controversy that Rowling has had behind her. It was in 2017 when she ‘liked’ a tweet condemning the transgender rights movement. The following year, the author caused controversy for the second time after liking another tweet that claimed trans women were just “men in dresses.” At the time, she claimed it was an accident, but in late 2019 she defended a woman who was fired from her job for tweeting that “men can’t transform into women.”
Since then, the author has been very frank about her views regarding trans people, which caused negative reactions from Harry Potter fans, and even the actors who played the saga on the big screen. This was the case of Daniel Radcliffe, who played the protagonist of the saga. “Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe stated in a letter.
“Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional healthcare associations who have far more experience on this issue than Jo or I,” he added, referring to Rowling. “If you believe that a particular character is trans, non-binary or genderfluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; If you found something in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any point in your life, then that is between you and the book you read, and it is sacred,” he wrote. Now, the controversy is once again served.