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“HBO Defends JK Rowling’s Right To Her Views”: Fans Outraged Over Harry Potter Series Involvement
HBO is at the center of controversy for supporting JK Rowling, the acclaimed author of the Harry Potter universe, stating that she has the right to express her “personal views” after confirming her involvement in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
The 59-year-old has been widely criticized by a large portion of the book’s fanbase for holding on to trans-exclusionary views and being, in their eyes, transphobic.
Highlights
- HBO supports J.K. Rowling's right to express views despite backlash.
- Rowling involved in new Harry Potter series as writer and director selector.
- Actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson publicly oppose Rowling's views.
- HBO faces mixed reactions over support for Rowling during show announcement.
The author has defended herself vigorously, denying the label and stating that her opinions are intended to protect and support human rights.
“HBO is very proud of continuing its history of bad choices,” said one user. Others echoed similar sentiments and predicted the downfall of the upcoming production due to her involvement.
RELATED:
HBO is receiving backlash from Harry Potter fans for defending JK Rowling’s right to “express her views” on Transgender Day of Remembrance
Image credits: AA / ABACA / Vida Press
Far from backing off, the network reaffirmed its support for the author, stating that it has “been working with J.K. Rowling and in the Harry Potter business for over 20 years,” calling her contributions “invaluable.”
The ambitious series, announced during the company’s Q4 earnings call on February 23, 2024, is expected to debut in 2026 and will run for seven seasons, corresponding to each book.
Image credits: Ester Marie Doysabas / Unsplash
“JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views,” the statement continued, which coincided with Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20). “We will remain focused on developing the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.”
Image credits: Variety
Referring to the extent of her participation, HBO chief Casey Bloys revealed at a press event that Rowling had a great deal of power when it came to selecting the show’s writer and director, but assured the audience that her personal views had no effect on said selection process.
The protagonists of the Harry Potter movies, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, have been at the forefront of criticism directed at the author
Image credits: sbstryker
Criticism towards Rowling has not been limited only to the fans of The Wizarding World but also to its protagonists. Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have been outspoken in the past about their conflicting views towards the author, with the latter stating that her remarks make him “really sad.”
Rowling, on the other hand, wrote a tweet on April 10, 2024, mentioning the Harry Potter alums as part of several “celebs who cozied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors.”
Her statement is in accordance with the values of a movement called Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism (TERF), which refers to individuals or groups within feminism who exclude transgender women from their definition of womanhood and feminist spaces.
Image credits: jk_rowling
The exchanges are the latest in a conversation that started in 2020 when Rowling expressed her views surrounding gender in a 3,600-word statement on her website, sharing her story as an abuse victim and stating that “if gender isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
Raddclife subsequently issued a statement reaffirming his belief that “transgender women are women” and reassuring his fanbase that Rowling’s views “are not the views of everyone associated with the Potter franchise.”
The series’ announcement was received with promises of a boycott by Rowling’s detractors, with the author subsequently mocking their intentions
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
This isn’t the first time fans have expressed concern about Rowling’s involvement in the upcoming show. A group announced its intentions to boycott the production after its announcement on April 12, 2023.
Rowling took to social media to mock their attempt, writing: “Activists in my mentions are trying to organize yet another boycott of my work, this time of the ‘Harry Potter’ TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.”
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
Aside from HBO, the author has received the support of other film actors, including Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange, and Jim Broadbent, who portrayed Horace Slughorn. The former said that the backlash was a “horrendous” attempt at “hounding” the writer, while the former expressed that Rowling is “amazing” and that he supports her.
For the TV network, the adaptation presents an opportunity to portray the Harry Potter books with accuracy only allowed by the extended format of a multi-season series.
HBO’s comments elicited mixed reactions among viewers, with one side wishing for the show’s downfall and Rowling’s cancellation and the other congratulating the network
Image credits: Giles Anderson / Vida Press
“Gradually, this nonsense is ending. I’m happy companies and individuals are fighting back,” one reader wrote.
“The show is gonna tank, and it’s gonna be awesome,” another said.
“They have every right to show it,” a reader expressed. “You have the right not to watch it, so don’t. If the viewership is abysmal, then HBO and her will get the message.”
“Yes, we need to ban the production of all movies and films that are not from pure, flawless people or simply someone who doesn’t conform to popular opinion,” another said sarcastically.
“I’ve been meaning to cancel my subscription,” wrote one viewer, with others joining in to voice their displeasure at Rowling’s involvement in the upcoming series
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What do you think ?
Aboredpanda 3 weeks ago (edited)
I know I'll only be downvoted brutally, but I think this is all bordering on hysterical. There's a comment here comparing a childrens book author to Hitler... I remember a time where people having apparently opposing views didn't mean so much; where we could talk calmly with eachother and try to understand eachother. Accepting that sometimes we disagree and that it was ok. Sex is a fact. Gender is a construct. These things can exist at the same time. The world is not black and white, and if it's seen as such, there will be so much conflict and pain. Look at the USA these days. So polarized the rest of the world is watching in stunned horror. Why does this need to be the cross people die on? We really don't know enough about the effects of gender change to make any decitions about what is good or bad here. It's perfectly normal to care for and accept that someone exists and feels a certain way, without agreeing with them. OR agreeing it's right for them, but not feeling the same.
AR 3 weeks ago
A difference of opinion is something like how you like your coffee versus how I like mine. When it comes to human rights and treating people decently, you are either defending human rights or you’re not. Trans people don’t hurt anyone. Any changes are done only to themselves and their bodies. This ridiculous idea that they’re out to destroy anything is pure ignorance, and a severe lack of understanding what sex is and what gender is.
Load More Replies...
DrBronxx 3 weeks ago
Sure, she's entitled to express her own personal views. I don't think anyone is disputing that. She is absolutely entitled to her shitt-y, shitt-y opinions. But when a public figure makes bigoted comments, that is bound to create a backlash. And making this statement on the Trans Day of Remembrance, a day when people can come together and mourn those who have been lost as a result of transphobia, is so unbelievably tone deaf that it cannot be an accident.
Surly Scot 3 weeks ago
I'd leave a comment, but as a genetically born female it's illegal for me to have an opinion by public consensus.
AR 3 weeks ago
Only if you’re not going to s**t on a group of people just trying to live their lives as themselves. It’s really not hard to do, but if you think it is, you need to question your morals. - another genetic cis gender female.
Load More Replies...
Donkey boi 3 weeks ago
HBO are NOT supporting her views. They are supporting her right to express her views. Two very different things.
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 3 weeks ago
If an opinion is harmless its fine. Transphobia isn't harmless. Swap the shìt she spouts but change the minority. Its not an opinion- its discrimination
UKGrandad 3 weeks ago (edited)
Do you really not understand the fallacy of that argument? 'If was said about another group...' If that's how it works then nobody will ever be able to make negative statements about anything. Can I not say that I dislike clowns because it would be wrong to say the same thing about disabled people? When somebody is talking about a specific group you can't criticise them on the grounds that what they say would be discrimination IF it was being said about a different group. EDIT: Dearest downvoters, I've said it before and I'll say it again; if you think I'm wrong then tell me why what I said is wrong. I have shown in many comment threads over the years that when I am shown to be in error I accept and admit to my mistakes. Over to you, my darlings.
Load More Replies...
AR 3 weeks ago
People acting like Rowling is “just expressing her opinion” are idiots, plain and simple. Being trans has strong evidence that it is a matter of brain structure, so something someone is born with, and so not up to “a difference of opinion”. A difference of opinion is like saying you enjoy a meal someone else dislikes. When it’s something that someone is born with, it’s not up for opinions. That’s as ridiculous as saying you hate all natural red heads. Just treat people who are living their lives without hurting others decently. It’s not hard but so many a******s act like it is, like Rowling.
Apatheist Account2 3 weeks ago
She's not saying that trans doesn't or shouldn't exist. She's saying the rights of trans people do not supersede the rights of biological people - that's where the difference of opinion comes in, eg should men who identify as women be allowed in women-only spaces if biological women are uncomfortable with them being there? That is where opinion differs.
Load More Replies...
Yvonne Dauwalder Balsiger 3 weeks ago
Sooo, over a century ago a certain Austrian turned German also "only" expressed his views in that infamous book of his and look how that turned out. Words matter. Words have impact, good or bad. All wars and genocides started with words demonizing a group of people. An other prime example of this is the Ruanda Genocide
Aboredpanda 3 weeks ago (edited)
It is insane to compare Rowling to ADOLF HITLER. Netanyahu maybe. Or maybe even Putin at a stretch. But a CHILDRENS BOOK AUTHOR??? You need to seriously rethink your logic.
Load More Replies...
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 weeks ago
JK is an awful woman and this really is a stupid blunder from HBO.
Apatheist Account2 3 weeks ago
Well, those companies that have gone with trans people (such as Budweiser) didn't do too well out of it, so following the vocal minority may not be such a good idea as you think. She - as a woman - is entitled to a view as to whether she's comfortable with biological males in women-only spaces. I think, as men, we should perhaps stay out of that debate, since it's far less threatening for us to have trans men in men-only spaces. She's entitled to her opinion and believes she is protecting an encroachment on to women's rights - the issue here for me is whether or not this is a good series. Doubtless there will be some diversity to keep everyone happy, but it will be interesting to see how close they get to the books (which do, incidentally, have a fair bit of diversity). The main problem will be that whoever plays Snape will look completely inadequate compared with Alan Rickman.
Load More Replies...
Zake 3 weeks ago
I just want to say one thing. In a high school in the United States, a boy claimed that he was transgender, so people allowed the boy to go to the girls' bathroom. And then what do you think this "transgender" did? He raped a girl! I respect the rights and freedoms of transgender people, but please give this group special toilets and sports events instead of squeezing women’s space. This can also avoid people pretending to be transgender people.
John Barker 3 weeks ago
It's not Transphobia, it's protecting women's rights. A man cannot claim rights over women based on his feelings
Sand Ers 3 weeks ago
Misrepresenting Trans people does not lead to a convincing argument.
Load More Replies...
Marnie 3 weeks ago
On a side note, the quote, "if gender isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased” makes no sense. If this is trying to say that transgender people are saying gender is not real, that is just nonsensical. There ARE some crazy people who say that gender is not real, but that would conflict with someone saying they are transgender. If you didn't think gender was real, you would not be trying to live as a gender that is not the same as your biological sex. Maybe you would be non-binary, then. How could someone say both, "I am a woman. But gender is not real"? Those are conflicting statements.
UKGrandad 3 weeks ago (edited)
Gender isn't real, it's a social construct. Sex - male/female - is a physical, biological reality whereas gender is the outdated notion of masculine and feminine. Gender identity is actually a misnomer because they are not identifying as a gender, they are identifying as the opposite of their biological sex. It's the conflation of sex with gender that confuses the issue and makes it sound superficially logical, but it doesn't take much thinking about to spot the fallacy. It goes: 1) Biological sex cannot be changed. 2) A transgender woman is a biological male who identifies as the opposite gender [see the switch from sex to gender?]. 3)........... 4) Therefore a trans woman is a woman. They never explain how gender identity is equal to biological sex.
Load More Replies... Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 weeks ago
If gender corresponds with sex then, as there are more than two sexes, there is more than two genders.
Load More Replies... 
Tamra 3 weeks ago
I'm genuinely laughing at your complete lack of awareness of the irony in your "edgy" little tirade. Conservatives have absolutely s**t their pants about any narrative beyond their own *very* narrow moral scope. Kid Rock shooting up a pack of beer? Check. Massive movements to ban books that might have a gay character? Check. Banning CRT? Check. Jesus, you guys are fragile clowns. 🤡
Load More Replies... Aboredpanda 3 weeks ago (edited)
I know I'll only be downvoted brutally, but I think this is all bordering on hysterical. There's a comment here comparing a childrens book author to Hitler... I remember a time where people having apparently opposing views didn't mean so much; where we could talk calmly with eachother and try to understand eachother. Accepting that sometimes we disagree and that it was ok. Sex is a fact. Gender is a construct. These things can exist at the same time. The world is not black and white, and if it's seen as such, there will be so much conflict and pain. Look at the USA these days. So polarized the rest of the world is watching in stunned horror. Why does this need to be the cross people die on? We really don't know enough about the effects of gender change to make any decitions about what is good or bad here. It's perfectly normal to care for and accept that someone exists and feels a certain way, without agreeing with them. OR agreeing it's right for them, but not feeling the same.
AR 3 weeks ago
A difference of opinion is something like how you like your coffee versus how I like mine. When it comes to human rights and treating people decently, you are either defending human rights or you’re not. Trans people don’t hurt anyone. Any changes are done only to themselves and their bodies. This ridiculous idea that they’re out to destroy anything is pure ignorance, and a severe lack of understanding what sex is and what gender is.
Load More Replies... DrBronxx 3 weeks ago
Sure, she's entitled to express her own personal views. I don't think anyone is disputing that. She is absolutely entitled to her shitt-y, shitt-y opinions. But when a public figure makes bigoted comments, that is bound to create a backlash. And making this statement on the Trans Day of Remembrance, a day when people can come together and mourn those who have been lost as a result of transphobia, is so unbelievably tone deaf that it cannot be an accident.
Surly Scot 3 weeks ago
I'd leave a comment, but as a genetically born female it's illegal for me to have an opinion by public consensus.
AR 3 weeks ago
Only if you’re not going to s**t on a group of people just trying to live their lives as themselves. It’s really not hard to do, but if you think it is, you need to question your morals. - another genetic cis gender female.
Load More Replies... Donkey boi 3 weeks ago
HBO are NOT supporting her views. They are supporting her right to express her views. Two very different things.
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 3 weeks ago
If an opinion is harmless its fine. Transphobia isn't harmless. Swap the shìt she spouts but change the minority. Its not an opinion- its discrimination
UKGrandad 3 weeks ago (edited)
Do you really not understand the fallacy of that argument? 'If was said about another group...' If that's how it works then nobody will ever be able to make negative statements about anything. Can I not say that I dislike clowns because it would be wrong to say the same thing about disabled people? When somebody is talking about a specific group you can't criticise them on the grounds that what they say would be discrimination IF it was being said about a different group. EDIT: Dearest downvoters, I've said it before and I'll say it again; if you think I'm wrong then tell me why what I said is wrong. I have shown in many comment threads over the years that when I am shown to be in error I accept and admit to my mistakes. Over to you, my darlings.
Load More Replies... AR 3 weeks ago
People acting like Rowling is “just expressing her opinion” are idiots, plain and simple. Being trans has strong evidence that it is a matter of brain structure, so something someone is born with, and so not up to “a difference of opinion”. A difference of opinion is like saying you enjoy a meal someone else dislikes. When it’s something that someone is born with, it’s not up for opinions. That’s as ridiculous as saying you hate all natural red heads. Just treat people who are living their lives without hurting others decently. It’s not hard but so many a******s act like it is, like Rowling.
Apatheist Account2 3 weeks ago
She's not saying that trans doesn't or shouldn't exist. She's saying the rights of trans people do not supersede the rights of biological people - that's where the difference of opinion comes in, eg should men who identify as women be allowed in women-only spaces if biological women are uncomfortable with them being there? That is where opinion differs.
Load More Replies... Yvonne Dauwalder Balsiger 3 weeks ago
Sooo, over a century ago a certain Austrian turned German also "only" expressed his views in that infamous book of his and look how that turned out. Words matter. Words have impact, good or bad. All wars and genocides started with words demonizing a group of people. An other prime example of this is the Ruanda Genocide
Aboredpanda 3 weeks ago (edited)
It is insane to compare Rowling to ADOLF HITLER. Netanyahu maybe. Or maybe even Putin at a stretch. But a CHILDRENS BOOK AUTHOR??? You need to seriously rethink your logic.
Load More Replies... Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 weeks ago
JK is an awful woman and this really is a stupid blunder from HBO.
Apatheist Account2 3 weeks ago
Well, those companies that have gone with trans people (such as Budweiser) didn't do too well out of it, so following the vocal minority may not be such a good idea as you think. She - as a woman - is entitled to a view as to whether she's comfortable with biological males in women-only spaces. I think, as men, we should perhaps stay out of that debate, since it's far less threatening for us to have trans men in men-only spaces. She's entitled to her opinion and believes she is protecting an encroachment on to women's rights - the issue here for me is whether or not this is a good series. Doubtless there will be some diversity to keep everyone happy, but it will be interesting to see how close they get to the books (which do, incidentally, have a fair bit of diversity). The main problem will be that whoever plays Snape will look completely inadequate compared with Alan Rickman.
Load More Replies... Zake 3 weeks ago
I just want to say one thing. In a high school in the United States, a boy claimed that he was transgender, so people allowed the boy to go to the girls' bathroom. And then what do you think this "transgender" did? He raped a girl! I respect the rights and freedoms of transgender people, but please give this group special toilets and sports events instead of squeezing women’s space. This can also avoid people pretending to be transgender people.
John Barker 3 weeks ago
It's not Transphobia, it's protecting women's rights. A man cannot claim rights over women based on his feelings
Sand Ers 3 weeks ago
Misrepresenting Trans people does not lead to a convincing argument.
Load More Replies... Marnie 3 weeks ago
On a side note, the quote, "if gender isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased” makes no sense. If this is trying to say that transgender people are saying gender is not real, that is just nonsensical. There ARE some crazy people who say that gender is not real, but that would conflict with someone saying they are transgender. If you didn't think gender was real, you would not be trying to live as a gender that is not the same as your biological sex. Maybe you would be non-binary, then. How could someone say both, "I am a woman. But gender is not real"? Those are conflicting statements.
UKGrandad 3 weeks ago (edited)
Gender isn't real, it's a social construct. Sex - male/female - is a physical, biological reality whereas gender is the outdated notion of masculine and feminine. Gender identity is actually a misnomer because they are not identifying as a gender, they are identifying as the opposite of their biological sex. It's the conflation of sex with gender that confuses the issue and makes it sound superficially logical, but it doesn't take much thinking about to spot the fallacy. It goes: 1) Biological sex cannot be changed. 2) A transgender woman is a biological male who identifies as the opposite gender [see the switch from sex to gender?]. 3)........... 4) Therefore a trans woman is a woman. They never explain how gender identity is equal to biological sex.
Load More Replies... Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 weeks ago
If gender corresponds with sex then, as there are more than two sexes, there is more than two genders.
Load More Replies... Tamra 3 weeks ago
I'm genuinely laughing at your complete lack of awareness of the irony in your "edgy" little tirade. Conservatives have absolutely s**t their pants about any narrative beyond their own *very* narrow moral scope. Kid Rock shooting up a pack of beer? Check. Massive movements to ban books that might have a gay character? Check. Banning CRT? Check. Jesus, you guys are fragile clowns. 🤡
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