JK Rowling has said she “never set out to upset anyone” over her past comments on transgender issues.
The 57-year-old Harry Potter author has taken part in a new podcast series, The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, which is set for release on February 21st.
Speaking in the trailer for the podcast, which is hosted by author and activist Megan Phelps-Roper, Rowling said: “I never set out to upset anyone. However, I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal.
Last year, I received a long, thoughtful letter from @Meganphelps, inviting me to take part in a personal, in-depth discussion with her about the issues that have interested me in recent years. 1/3
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 14, 2023
Advertisement
“And what has interested me over the last 10 years, and certainly over the past few years, two, three years, particularly on social media, ‘You’ve ruined your legacy. You could have been beloved forever, but you chose to say this’.
“And I think, you could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.”
Rowling has previously been criticised for her staunch views on gender identity, which she has shared on social media.
Megan proposed bringing in other voices, and looking at the wider picture, bringing her own unique viewpoint as a former fundamentalist who’s dedicated her life over the past decade to difficult conversations. 2/3
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 14, 2023
Advertisement
She has previously tweeted that she has received “so many death threats I could paper the house with them”.
In a series of tweets about the upcoming podcast series, Rowling said she had agreed to take part in the project, after being approached by former member of the Westboro Baptist Church Phelps-Roper, because she felt the pair could have a “real, interesting, two-sided conversation that might prove constructive”.
After leaving the Westboro Baptist Church, known for its hateful views and frequent protests against the LGBT community and other marginalised communities, in 2012, Phelps-Roper wrote Unfollow.
I agreed to sit down with Megan because, having read her wonderful book, Unfollow, I thought the two of us could have a real, interesting, two-sided conversation that might prove constructive. You can listen and find out for yourself here: https://t.co/aYx3XGQ9jl
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 14, 2023
The memoir details her experience of “loving and leaving extremism”.
Rowling’s comments in the trailer come shortly after the release of the highly-anticipated video game Hogwarts Legacy.
The open world adventure game, which is set prior to the novel series, in the 1800s, has attracted controversy online – with many fans calling for it to be boycotted due to Rowling’s views on gender.
The stars of the Harry Potter film franchise – Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – are among those who have spoken out against her views previously.
Rowling has also said she was partly motivated to speak out about transgender issues because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
She has strongly denied accusations of transphobia.
