If Rowling's sentiments on trans people are brought up, people outside of the trans community can find themselves unsure how to explain why her words are harmful-with some arguing that Rowling is only "defending women" or "raising questions" about transgender issues, inadvertently downplaying the very real negative impact they have. Given the complexity inherent within discussing gender issues and the misinformation spread about the transgender community, coupled with the current politicized discourse surrounding trans issues and attacks on trans rights within the United States, United Kingdom, and around the world, the discourse surrounding GCF and Rowling has often remained intensely polarized and opaque to the greater public. However, GCF's actions are not only misinformed about trans issues, but they also wield misinformation and rhetoric with an explicitly vitriolic and damaging intention, and do so towards the entire trans community, which itself is considered to be one of the most marginalized communities right now. GCFs are a small but vocal movement defined by their opposition to what they term as "gender ideology," the denial of trans and nonbinary people's identities, opposition to legislation supporting trans people, and arguing that trans women, in particular, are simply men coopting womanhood in order to invade "women-only spaces" such as bathrooms, leading to what they believe is the erosion of cisgender** women's safety and rights. Rowling's words have garnered her the support of "gender critical feminists" (GCF)*, who are sometimes known as "trans-exclusionary radical feminists" or TERFs. There are no easy answers to be found here, outside of the necessity to support and protect those most vulnerable to harm. The objective is not to provide you with an answer about how to feel, but to give you the tools needed to consider the questions yourself. The goal of this article is not to provide a complete timeline of everything Rowling has ever said about trans people, but to touch upon some of the most important notes in Rowling's connection to these issues, as well as provide the larger context around transgender rights that Rowling's words sit within-specifically in the United States and the United Kingdom, and to investigate what all this means for those of us still excited for Harry Potter works like Hogwarts Legacy. That's what I want to unpack, as much as I can. What does supporting Rowling even mean? Furthermore, is supporting the Harry Potter franchise, which has grown beyond books written by a single author, still worthwhile given there are writers, producers, filmmakers, and developers who also contribute to the franchise, and many of them directly oppose Rowling's positions? Some of you may also be questioning if Rowling's words are harmful at all, given the intense politicization and seeming contradictory information being discussed around trans issues. It has required many of us to think about whether we can still support the Harry Potter franchise in light of Rowling's discriminatory words and actions. While the conversation around trans issues may not directly affect most outside of the trans community, Rowling doubling down on trans issues has forced the topic to the forefront of many people's minds when it comes to the ongoing Harry Potter franchise. This has not been an isolated incident, but a continued stance for Rowling dating all the way back to 2018 and continuing into March 2022-at the time of writing-when she tweeted out misinformation around an upcoming vote in Scotland on gender identification issues, among numerous other tweets targeted at trans people. However, the franchise has, sadly, remained in the ever-present shadow of a larger conversation: creator JK Rowling's public support of anti-transgender rhetoric, as well as her support for the people and groups that spread it, all expressed on social media, her website, and in her activism. The lucrative Wizarding World franchise has a third Fantastic Beasts film coming, a TBS game show, an ongoing Broadway play, two theme parks, a potential live-action streaming series, and, most notably to gamers, a highly-anticipated return to the AAA gaming world with Avalanche Software's Hogwarts Legacy. At a glance, the Harry Potter series would appear to be in a healthy place.
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