The “Harry Potter” author Joanne K. Rowling reacted aggressively online to the allegations of a trans* person.
Joanne K. Rowling has done it again: This time, the Harry Potter author took on Jessie Earl, a 30-year-old YouTuber who recently called on her fans to boycott an upcoming video game. Why? Because the Harry-Potter-author repeatedly attracts attention with anti-trans rhetoric. The video game, Hogwarts Legacy, is scheduled for release on February 10, 2023.
“When I saw JK Rowling tweet about me, I knew I had to be prepared in some way,” Earl, who uses the name Jessie Gender on YouTube, admitted BuzzFeed News US. “She sees me as the bogeyman of all trans people that she created in her head. She thinks that’s really the trans community,” Earl said.
Demanding trans* people: Do not support new Harry Potter products
Earl is trans*. She uses the pronouns she/her. On Friday, December 16, they tweeted that they will not be “judging” anyone who has consumed Rowling’s previous works, but that any support for the upcoming computer game is harmful.
“I don’t begrudge anyone their love of past work or things they already own that bring them comfort,” Earl said on Twitter. “I own the first nine films and all seven books. But any endorsement of something like Hogwarts Legacy is pernicious.”
Joanne K. Rowling reacted aggressively to Earl’s call:
Rowling responded by tweeting to her 13 million followers, accusing Earl of being an overly politically correct hypocrite. [Mit dem Wort „purethink“ könnte sie auch auf „Neusprech“ anspielen, eine neu gestaltete Sprache aus George Orwells Buch „1984“, in dem mit dieser Sprache die Freiheit des Denkens aufgehoben wird].
“I am deeply disappointed that @jessiegender does not understand that this pretense is incompatible with owning ANYTHING related to me, in ANY form,” Rowling wrote on Twitter. “The truly righteous would not only burn their books and films, but the local library, anything with an owl on it, and their own pets. #DoBetter.”
Hate against trans* people on the internet is ignited
The hate rush that followed quickly reached the trans* person. Earl tells BuzzFeed News USthat their DMs were soon inundated with negative comments, some of which rekindled age-old prejudices that LGBTQIA+-People would sexually abuse children.
“I want you all to know that I am having a happy week visiting family at Christmas. I received so much kindness and support… but I also want to take this moment to show how trans people are treated when the attention of those spreading hate is focused on them.”
Despite the massive harassment hurled at Earl by Rowling’s supporters, she also received support. “It’s been so incredibly encouraging and a lot of people have reached out to me privately,” Earl said. “It meant so much to me.”
What is the LGBTQ community struggling with?
The interaction is indicative of a year that is for was very hostile towards LGBTQIA+ people in general. In March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” because it effectively bans teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms. When Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched a similar attempt in September Virginia did, thousands of students dropped out of nearly 100 schools across the state.
Rowling became a worldwide celebrity for introducing “Harry Potter” to the world in 1997, but the name JK: Rowling has been making anti-trans statements for years connected. She has expressed her disdain for trans people in a variety of ways over the years.
In 2019, she posted a statement on Twitter in support of Maya Forstater, a woman who was fired for saying transgender women shouldn’t be legally recognized. The following year, she published a lengthy essay on her website about her fears about “contemporary trans activism” and poked fun at an article in which the author used the term “people who menstruate”.
“People who menstruate”. I’m sure there used to be a word for these people. Can anyone help me further? whoops wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling wrote on Twitter. One should use such designations much more often and also Say “people with uterus” instead of women when speaking of medical matters.
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe distances himself from Rowling’s views
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the film adaptations, has distanced himself from Rowling’s views. In 2020, he released a statement alongside the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. In it he said: “Trans* women are women”, an incident that the biologist Marie-Luise Vollbrecht contradict with biology will.
“Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice from professional health organizations who have far more expertise on the matter than [J.K. Rowling] or me,” Radcliffe said in the statement.
In an interview with Indiewire he later explained why he decided to speak out publicly. He wanted the many queer and transgender kids who are fans of the show to know that not everyone in the franchise shares Rowling’s beliefs.
What does this mean for trans* people?
Earl said Radcliffe and other Harry Potter cast members’ support for trans people made it easier for them to enjoy the original series, which they grew up watching before Rowling’s anti-trans prejudice became common knowledge.
“It’s easier to find joy in these works that way, and it encourages me too.” That people of their generation like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (here we show how they look 20 years later) supporting not only the rights of transgender people, but the rights of people around the world, be great. “You’re helping to create a future where we can all come together in solidarity and kindness,” Earl told BuzzFeed News US.
Many LGBTQIA+ fans can relate to Harry’s story of how he was put in a closet and told not to speak out, only to later find a loving and accepting community. “I mean, that’s a story that I think affects a lot of queer people and really everyone who feels excluded,” Earl said.
Warner Bros. Games is still releasing the Harry Potter game
David Haddad, the president of Warner Bros. Games, has refrained from directly criticizing Rowling, telling opposite Axios, fans should focus on the new video game. Also have already been potential new Harry Potter movies announced.
“We’re going to focus on the game we’ve made and the great work that the Avalanche studio has done,” Haddad told Axios. “We want everyone who loves this world and loves these stories and loves these characters.” At a request from BuzzFeed News US neither JK Rowling nor Warner Bros. Games responded immediately.
Author is Pocharapon Neammanee. The article appeared on December 20, 2022 buzzfeednews.com. Translated from English by Mine Hacibekiroglu.