In a new podcast episode, Harry Potter author JK Rowlingof which explicitly transphobic comments have tainted the beloved fantasy series over the past two years, says it “never sought to upset anyone.”
“However, I wasn’t uncomfortable stepping off my pedestal,” Rowling said. added by Variety.
In the podcast, which is produced by Bari Weissa former controversial New York Times Opinion columnist Rowling claims her anti-trans comments have been misinterpreted.
“What has interested me in recent years, especially on social networks [is when fans say]’You’ve ruined your legacy,’ says Rowling quoted as saying in the podcast. “’Oh, you could have been loved forever, but you chose to say it.’ And I think, ‘You couldn’t have misunderstood me more deeply.’
Rowling first sparked controversy with a series of tweets she posted in 2020, but before that she liked tweets that criticized the transgender movement. She later said these likes had errors.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction,” Rowling tweeted in June 2020. “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women around the world is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of gender robs many of the ability to meaningfully discuss their lives. It’s not hate to tell the truth.
“‘People who menstruate'”, Rowling commented in another tweet from 2020. “I’m sure there was a word for these people. Someone help me. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? »
In a 2020 blog post, the author elaborate“The ‘inclusive’ language that calls women ‘menstruating’ and ‘people with vulvas’ strikes many women as dehumanizing and demeaning. I understand why trans activists consider this language to be appropriate and kind, but for those of between us who have had degrading insults spat out at each other by violent men, it’s not neutral, it’s hostile and alienating.
“I want trans women to be safe,” says Rowling blog post continued. “At the same time, I don’t want to make native girls and women any less safe. When you open the bathroom and locker room doors to any man who believes or feels like a woman – and, as I said , gender confirmation certificates can now be issued without the need for surgery or hormones – so you open the door to all men who want to come in. That’s the simple truth.