JK Rowling Will Be Voldemort Of ‘Harry Potter’?

JK Rowling’s Anti-Transgender Crisis may have started years ago now, but the fallout continues to this day — just this month, two US-based quidditch tournaments have announced their plans to change their name in an attempt to separate the sport from Harry Potter creator.

But in the light of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary this November, a number of celebratory events are inevitable. On New Year’s Day, HBO Max will launch Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: ​​Back to Hogwarts. How will the latest special reunion of streamers solve the problem of the giant elephant missing in the room? Does it dare mention She is unnamed?

HBO Max didn’t provide The Daily Beast with a reunion showrunner, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Rowling will only appear through archival footage. Sources told the magazine that the reunion will focus on the film’s creation, cast, and team.

Rowling’s second act as compensator for bigotry begins in earnest in 2019, when she tweeted in support of Maya Forstater — a British researcher who was fired for her anti-transgender remarks, including telling a colleague that she doesn’t believe anyone must ” play along with literal illusions like ‘trans women are women. ‘”

Rowling wrote at the time: “Dress the way you please. “Call me whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who will have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But forcing women to quit their jobs for saying sex is real? “

Over the years, Rowling has increasingly agreed to use feminist language to disguise anti-transgender white dogs. Go beyond weak argument “sex is real”, the author has repeatedly framed her bigotry as a concern for the safety of women — a diabolical narrative that has become popular among trans-exclusionist extremist feminists (TERFS).

In one verbose document published last year, Rowling claims to be an expert on the subject of transgender people after reading “junk” books and is said to have consulted with a number of unnamed transgender people. At one point, she compared online criticism she received in the past to actual acts of violence against women.

As I wrote at the time: “Even though she claims she cares about transgender people, her post still sees the community and its advocates as a direct threat to transgender people. cis women. It paints transgender women as invaders, as space invaders for women, and precisely portrays the trope permutations that have been used for years to justify abuses of women. surname. “

Complicating matters further is the fact that Rowling had previously Position yourself as a gay rights advocate. (Never mind that her books don’t include explicitly gay characters—or even after she wrote more text after the release of the last book that Dumbledore was, in fact, gay. count, Magical Creatures So far the prequel movies have been shaky when it comes to letting him it is in gay men on screen.) For someone who has managed to expand her multibillion-dollar fortune at least in part by appealing to the gay community, Rowling certainly doesn’t seem to feel her owe us a lot.

In the years since Rowling began publicly disclosing her anti-transgender secrets, fans have been forced to reevaluate their relationship with the franchise — and re-imagine what the fandom might look like in the future, because it’s far from the woman who created Hogwarts. Since last year, few Harry Potter The stars declined Rowling’s comment—Starting with Daniel Radcliffe, who gave his feedback through the LGBTQ advocacy group The Trevor Project.

“Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all the advice of professional health care associations who have more expertise in the matter. either Jo or me.”

“If you find anything in these stories that resonates with you and helps you at any point in your life — it’s between you and the book you read, and that’s sacred. spiritual,” added Radcliffe.

Additional actors make their own statements including Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne, among other actors from many Potter films and theater productions.

Watson, Grint and Radcliffe were apparently all on board for the special reunion. While Rowling’s choice to decline comment doesn’t necessarily preclude their involvement, it’s hard to imagine the event that fueled Rowling’s creativity without involving the real-world damage she suffered. he continues to nurture.

Based on previous HBO Max reunion specials, There’s a chance that this particular reunion could directly confront the real-life controversy — and there’s also reason to believe it could avoid the issue altogether.

Last fall, The Prince of Bel-Air fresh The cast gathered for a nostalgic reunion of their own. The reunion was packed with flashbacks and saw the cast mourn the late James Avery – who played Uncle Phil with unforgettable wit and empathy. But its center is frank reconciliation between Will Smith and Janet Hubert, The show’s original aunt Viv, who passed away under famously scandalous circumstances.

John Phillips / Getty

A serious conversation between estranged former co-stars about their individual differences is certainly not a directly analogous way to discuss cross-sectional phobia, which affects millions of people every day. . But Fresh Prince particularly demonstrate that these flashbacks may at least refer to some of the more difficult anecdotes from the history of a given cultural product. That’s more than we can say for HBO Max’s harmful anodyne But you friend reunion, declined to discuss any of the show’s shortcomings — or Matthew Perry’s struggles with addiction while making the show — at any length.

As live streamers continue to proliferate at a hare-like rate, reunions and “events” like this are likely to multiply as well. It is quite possible (and even likely) that most will But you friend route and choose feverish reverence over critical perspective or emotional insight. But franchise obsessives and skeptics will always benefit more from projects that actually involve conundrums than they will from well-established marketing. honor.

Most if not all Harry Potter The cast, creators, and “team” we’ll see in the HBO Max reunion made their fortunes — and their claims about JK Rowling. This particular will reveal if any of them are really willing to put their money in their mouths and have a real, face-to-face conversation about it.