JK Rowling Breaks Silence After Harry Potter Fan Sites Distance Themselves From Author Over Trans Views

JK Rowling Breaks Silence After Harry Potter Fan Sites Distance Themselves From Author Over Trans Views.

JK Rowling has broken her silence after Harry Potter fan sites distanced themselves from the author because of her beliefs on transgender issues.

Websites The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet released a joint statement saying that the best-selling author’s views on “marginalised people” are ”out of step with the message of acceptance and empowerment we find in her books and celebrated by the Harry Potter community”.

Both websites announced they would no longer be providing links to Rowling’s personal website, using photographs of her, or writing about her achievements that are unrelated to the world of Harry Potter.

The statement also said that Rowling had voiced “harmful and disproven beliefs about what it means to be a transgender person”.

Howevr, Mugglenet founder Emerson Spartz tweeted in support of Rowling, writing: “After hours of stomach churning & frantic pacing, I decided that, as founder of MuggleNet, I have to say something. I can’t believe I have to say this, but @jk_rowling is NOT transphobic.”

Rowling replied to Spart`, writing: “Thank you, Emerson, for being who I always thought you were.”

She included an emoji of the lightning bolt synonymous with the scar on Harry Potter’s head.

Last month, Rowling was criticised by many after posting a series of tweets that were widely described as “anti-trans”, which she then followed with a lengthy blog post.

The essay was criticised by LGBT+ advocacy groups and others for containing inaccuracies and perpetuating harmful beliefs about transgender people.

In the fan sites’ statement, they said that members have found it difficult to speak out against the author having respected her work for so long, but specified that “it would be wrong not to use our platforms to counteract the harm she has caused”.

“Our stance is firm: transgender women are women,” they continued.

“Transgender men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary. Intersex people exist and should not be forced to live in the binary. We stand with Harry Potter fans in these communties.”

Rowling recently tweeted praise of seminal horror novelist Stephen King, but deleted her comment when the Misery author tweeted back: “Trans women are women.”