There’s no doubt thatJ.K. Rowlinglost a lot of fans due to the controversy related to her views on the transgender community, but be that as it may, theHarry Potterauthor and movie producer says she’s also garnered a great deal of support. The comments come from Rowling’s new podcastThe Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, in which she describes first-hand what it was like to become subject to the online backlash that ensued in 2019 after she offered her support to Maya Forstater, a British researcher who’d been fired because of her gender critical views. Rowling posted a tweet at the time backing Forstater, which led to accusations of transphobia leveled against the author as well.
“I knew it was going to cause a massive storm,” Rowling now says of the situation, perDeadline.
Even with an idea she was going to face some criticism, Rowling notes how the response had become an “absolute fury.” She’s been labeled by many as a “TERF,” a term meaning “trans exclusionary radical feminist,” as well as drawn comparisons to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime. There were a lot of former fans criticizing Rowling and stating they would be boycotting theHarry Potterfranchise for as long as she continues to be involved from this point forward. While Rowling says there have been a lot of fans on her side sending thousands of messages of support, she admits that the backlash did affect her on some level.
“A ton of Potter fans were still with me. And, in fact, a ton of Potter fans were grateful for what I said," Rowling explains. “Personally, it has not been fun and I have been scared at times for my own safety and, overwhelmingly, for my family’s safety. Time will tell whether I’ve got this wrong. I can only say that I’ve thought about it deeply and hard and long and I’ve listened, I promise, to the other side.”
Related:Harry Potter Actress Evanna Lynch Gives Her Take on the J.K. Rowling Controversy
J.K. Rowling Feels No Regret
In a previous episode of the podcast, Rowling said that she"never set out to hurt anyone"when she weighed in on the debate concerning gender identity. She further explains how she does not regret saying what she did, going back to the tweet she posted in 2019 and claiming she stands by her comments.
“I stand by every word that I wrote there, but the question is, What is the truth? And I’m arguing against people who are literally saying sex is a construct,” she says.
Some of the stars of theHarry Potterfranchise have defended Rowling from the online backlash. Recently, Evanna Lynch said she wishes “people wouldtreat her with more graceand listen to her.” Helena Bonham Carter has also said that the backlash has been"taken to the extreme."
