J.K. Rowling has stated that anyone who thinks she is worried about how her legacy will be affected by the backlash to her stance on transgender issues has "profoundly" misunderstood her.
Because of her opinions on gender identity and the issue of letting trans women enter spaces reserved for women, the author of Harry Potter has been accused of being transphobic.
In a recent podcast, Rowling stated that she "never meant to upset anyone.".
But getting down from my pedestal didn't feel awkward to me. ".
Fans who argue that she has "ruined" her legacy, according to Rowling, "could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.".
I don't walk around my house considering my legacy, she added.
What a pompous way to go through life, wondering what my legacy will be when I'm gone. Currently, that is what interests me. I'm interested in the living. ".
Rowling has come under heavy fire for a number of remarks in which she expressed worries about how trans issues affect women's rights and her opposition to Scotland's gender recognition bill.
2020 saw the author post the following essay on her website: "When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he's a woman... you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. ".
People have called for a boycott of the Harry Potter franchise, which includes the popular video game Hogwarts Legacy as well as the books, movies, and television shows. Her position has been perceived as transphobic by some.
Actors from the Harry Potter films, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have criticized Rowling's remarks.
Lord Voldemort's actor Ralph Fiennes defended the author, calling the abuse she had endured "disgusting" and "appalling.".
She has stated that she does not harbor any transphobic views and that she supports transgender people's rights and their freedom from abuse and discrimination.
The author claimed in the podcast titled The Witch Trials of JK Rowling that she had additionally experienced "direct threats of violence" as a result of her opinions.
"I've had visitors come to the house where my kids live, and I've posted my address online. I've received threats that, in the opinion of the police, are credible. ".
Later, Rowling claimed that many queries do not necessarily have obvious solutions.
"There is a lot of appeal to black and white thinking, and I try to demonstrate this in the Potter books.
It's the safest place to be and the easiest place to be in many ways. If you take an all-or-nothing stance on anything, you will undoubtedly find allies and a supportive community. "I pledge allegiance to this one basic concept. '.
"What I tried to demonstrate in the Potter books, and what I strongly believe myself, is that we should be most skeptical of ourselves when we are certain. ".
Megan Phelps-Roper, who spent 26 years of her upbringing in the radical Westboro Baptist Church before fleeing in 2012, is the presenter of the seven-part series The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling.
The first two episodes, which were made available on Tuesday, attempt to draw comparisons between the activists who now criticize Rowling and the Christian fundamentalists who attempted to have the Harry Potter books banned in the early 2000s.
Rowling responded, "Book burners, by definition, have placed themselves across a line of rational debate," when asked about the protesters who burned her books in the early 2000s, alleging they promoted witchcraft.
There is not a book on the planet that I would burn, not even those that I believe to be harmful. For those who are unable to argue, burning seems to be their last option.
. "
