In recent years, JK Rowling has been talked about less for her literary work than for what she says about trans women. Now the author would like to explain herself again – and expresses herself in a podcast interview.
With “Harry Potter”, JK Rowling has created a magical world in which minorities are defended. In real life, however, the Brit has been messing with a group of people for several years. Some of their tweets and statements are understood to be anti-trans. Among other things, she marked a tweet with “Like” that spoke of “men in dresses”. Among other things, Rowling repeatedly emphasized that she was afraid that she would no longer be safe in public toilets if they were opened to trans* women.
JK Rowling feels misunderstood
In a podcast titled “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling,” the 57-year-old spoke to activist and journalist Megan Phelps-Roper about the difficult subject. “I never intended to upset anyone,” the “Harry Potter” author says in the short trailer for the interview. “However, I didn’t feel uncomfortable coming down from my pedestal,” she says. That almost sounds like an apology. Rowling also has a message for her fans who are disappointed in her. “You couldn’t have misunderstood me more thoroughly,” she says in the podcast excerpt.
It is interesting that Rowling chose Megan Phelps-Roper as the interviewee. Phelps-Roper’s grandfather once founded the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, which is officially classified as a “hate group” and represents both homophobic and anti-Semitic beliefs. In 2012, Phelps-Roper decided to leave the denomination. In a TED Talk in 2017, she explained the move.
Megan Phelps-Roper is her interlocutor
At the time, she exchanged views with critics of the church in social media forums. “Initially, the people I encountered on the platform were just as hostile as I expected. But in the midst of this digital brawl, a strange pattern emerged,” she said in 2017. “Someone came up to my profile with the usual anger and contempt , and I responded with an individual mix of Bible verses, pop culture references, and smileys. The person was understandably confused and taken aback, but then a conversation ensued. And it was polite — full of genuine curiosity on both sides,” Phelps-Roper said. “The truth is, the care I was shown by these strangers online was itself a contradiction. It was growing evidence that the people on the other side weren’t the demons I was led to believe,” she explained.
The journalist’s fundamentalist background was one of the reasons why JK Rowling agreed to the interview, she explains on Twitter. “Megan suggested letting other voices have their say, looking at the bigger picture and providing her own perspective as a former fundamentalist who has devoted her life to difficult conversations over the past decade. I agreed to sit down with Megan because I read her wonderful book ‘Unfollow’ and thought the two of us could have a real, interesting, two-way conversation that might prove constructive,” said the Harry Potter author.
From February 21, Rowling fans and critics can get an idea of how the author feels about her statements.
Sources: Twitter / /
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
